Adult Confidential
by Laragh
Summary: They've graduated, now they're faced with the big, bad world of adulthood…the second part in the prequel series of Hacker Confidential and Family Confidential (and follow-up to College Confidential)
1. Chapter 1

_TITLE:_ Adult Confidential

 _WRITER:_ Laragh

 _STORY RATING:_ PG-13 to NC-17

 _DISCLAIMER:_ Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.

 _SUMMARY:_ They've graduated, now they're faced with the big, bad world of adulthood…the second part in the prequel series of Hacker Confidential and Family Confidential (and follow-up to College Confidential)

 _SPOILERS:_ Perhaps minor references to the show or stealage of dialogue, but nothing that would spoil the series.

 _FEEDBACK:_ Yes please

* * *

Tara followed Willow out onto the curb where she was waiting with their belongings, saying one last goodbye to the place she'd called home for the last four years.

She wasn't sad; though her time there had been life-changing, life-affirming and the best years she'd had, she was moving onto the next chapter and that excited her. She couldn't wait to make a new home and a new life with the woman she loved.

As she approached said woman, standing divested of her graduation gown, ready to enter the world of adulthood in jeans and a sweater devoid of fluff; two cars came skidding past them. Well, one car, a shiny, silver convertible Mustang came skidding past with Becky inside, while Jack's sensible Hyundai pulled up gracefully behind.

Becky had the top down and sunglasses on, milking every ounce of 'cool' points she could. She motioned for Willow.

"Get in loser, we're going shopping!"

Willow's eyes glazed over as she looked at the brand, spanking new vehicle and she turned to Tara, hands pressed together in a prayer pose.

"Can I?"

Tara hated to be the one to burst the bubble, but they were literally surrounded with baggage she had no hope of carrying herself.

"We have all of our things, Will."

"Do you want to ride with me, Tara?" Jack asked as he rolled his window down, "That looks like a lot of stuff to carry across town."

Tara smiled gratefully. She hadn't been enjoying the thoughts of hauling stuff on a bus or paying a cab for the length and loading of that trip.

"Thank you, Jack. I would really appreciate that."

Willow took that as permission and hopped into Becky's car.

"Meet you there!"

They were both squealing excitedly and they sped off like they were in a getaway car.

"Did they say they were going shopping?" Tara asked wearily.

"I hope not, Becky treats it like an Olympic sport," Jack replied with a fond smile, "She's so excited about that car. Shame her parents had to take off so soon. I only met them for a second."

Tara nodded; that was hardly a revelation.

"From what I've heard, that might be for the best. At least when they're both together at the same time."

"I think you're right," Jack replied with an easy smile, "Let me get this stuff in the trunk for you."

Jack got out and helped get the boxes and suitcases into his spacious trunk, which already had some of his own moving boxes. Tara was glad for the strength; the suitcases were difficult enough to wheel, she would have seriously struggled to lift them alone.

They fit everything in without much difficulty and walked around, getting into their respective sides.

"You guys moving into your new place today too?" Tara asked as she fastened her seat belt.

"I've been getting furniture and stuff in there for a few weeks," Jack replied, indicating out of campus with neither of them looking back, "But yeah, today's the last of it and Becky's things. She says she doesn't know how long she'll need to say, but I figure she should just unpack her stuff anyway. Who wants to live out of boxes?"

Tara smiled to herself. Becky was being guarded, but she was still taking the next big step - moving in together - even if she wasn't admitting it yet, and Tara was glad Jack was willing to wait her out. She was glad for both of them to be entering the next phase of their lives in as much happiness as she was, and just feeling a lot of general joy from the world.

Jack disrupted her thoughts to ask for directions and Tara realised she wasn't quite sure, having used the T or walked from the Public Gardens on the other side of town. Together, they negotiated their way to Fenway Park and Tara was able to guide Jack down the side streets from there.

Jack pulled up on the curb and smiled out the window.

"Nice building."

"I think so," Tara replied modestly, "Thanks so much for the ride."

"Happy to do it," Jack replied with a smile, "Let me get that stuff out of the trunk. It was heavy, don't lift it on your own."

Jack popped the trunk and began to lift things out onto the street. Tara started to carry the boxes upstairs since they were mostly light with the odd slightly heavy one, with things like Willow's books or the TV. She fished the key out of her pocket and opened the door to their new apartment, though not for the first time that day.

Whilst off 'finalising paperwork' that morning, at least as far as Willow was concerned, she had really been stocking their kitchen with dishware and silverware, as well as filling up the fridge with supplies to last them until they did a proper tour of the neighbourhood and found a local supermarket.

She'd hoped to have the whole place kitted out and ready to step in and be liveable for Willow, as a surprise, but that hope had been dashed when she'd realised how much stuff there was and how unable she would have been to get it there herself.

She stacked the living room boxes in by the table and bedroom boxes in the bedroom so they were accessible and headed back downstairs.

Becky had pulled up behind Jack as he unloaded the last of Willow and Tara's stuff from his trunk, with the top still down and music playing louder than was necessary. Both Jack and Tara shared a grimacing look, but they both softened when they heard their respective girlfriend's laughing.

Becky shut off the music and eyed Jack over her sunglasses and wolf whistled.

"Hey, where can I get a hot mover? 1-800-Great-Butt?"

Jack's cheeks tinged pink, while Willow stepped out of Becky's car, feeling too cool for school and grinning at her inner thought's graduation pun.

"Looks like I missed all the heavy lifting," she said, obviously not too cut up about it.

Tara put her hands on her hips.

"Not quite, missy, we still have to get these upstairs," she said, gesturing to the suitcases.

"I'll help out," Jack offered.

Tara shook her head.

"Thank you so much, but you've done more than your share. I know you have your own unpacking to do."

"Oh, he's packing all the time," Becky called out with a lascivious grin.

Jack blushed to his toes and hurried back into his car.

"Bye. I'm sure we'll see you soon."

"I'll be seeing you soon!" Becky heckled after Jack, " _All_ of you, baby."

Willow grinned at her friend, admiring her boldness.

"Four for you, Glen Coco."

"Boo, you whore!" Becky called, pulling off the curb and following Jack in his car, "Laters!"

Tara blinked a couple of times and dropped her hands off her hips.

"Well, now that whatever that was is over…"

Willow held her hands up defensively.

"Alright, alright, I'm lugging. I'll get the rest in. Thanks for doing all the work."

They got the three heavy suitcases inside the door and there was one last box of lamps and ornaments, which Tara grabbed to carry up with her. She set it carefully on the floor and opened it up to unpack. When she had taken most of the contents out with still no sign of Willow, she grabbed the keys again and went to search for her.

She found Willow on the landing between the first and second floor, collapsed and panting on the stairs, surrounded by the three suitcases. Tara stood over Willow, who weakly flicked a hand at her.

"Go on without me," she panted, eyes closing, "I want you to have a good life. Be happy."

Tara rolled her eyes.

"Willow, it was one floor."

Willow mumbled something incoherent, so Tara turned the two lighter suitcases onto their wheels and got them up inside. She repeated the process to get the last, heaviest one in on its own, then descended the stairs one last time to help Willow up.

"Come on," she said, holding Willow by the waist, "Why did you try to take everything at once?"

Willow leaned right against Tara, still slightly out of breath.

"Always been…an overachiever…"

Tara couldn't help but smile, and brought Willow to the couch.

"Rest, and when you feel up to it, unpack these boxes, okay?" she said, and saw Willow pout, "All you have to do is put up a few lamps around and organise the kitchen appliances. It would really help me out. I don't know how half those things work anyway."

Willow sat up sheepishly.

"I wasn't complaining. Of course I'll do that. Sorry for being a baby."

Tara held her hand out for Willow's, then lifted it to her lips and kissed her knuckles.

"A solid hour and we'll have our place just how we want it."

Willow nodded, perking up.

"Our place. Love that. Hasn't hit home yet."

"Well it should, this is our home now," Tara replied, returning Willow's hand to her.

She went off into the bedroom and Willow lazily caught a box between her feet and dragged it over to where she was sitting without getting up. It was the one Tara had already opened, and contained an Eiffel Tower lamp, which had been brought home from Paris; their framed photos; candle holders and a collection of penguin figurines that were actually holiday ornaments, but Willow enjoyed having up all year round.

She left the penguins and most of the candles on the coffee table, arranging them so the penguins were warming themselves around the candles. The photos were lined up at various angles along the breakfast bar separating the kitchen area from the living space. She put the only two matching candle sticks either end of the bar and stood back to admire her 'artistic' work.

She nodded once, pleased, then sighed when she turned back around and saw Tara's lamp still lying on the sofa. She knew Tara had painstakingly carried it all the way back from Europe with great care and was almost afraid to touch it.

She went over and delicately lifted it up to put on the coffee table, then realised there was no power outlet in reach. Her eyes followed the walls the whole way around the room as she tried to find a spot for it.

She was about to give up and leave it for Tara to figure out, when she spotted the empty TV stand. She put the lamp down, opened the box with their TV packed away and set it up on the stand. She happily found she had enough room for the lamp to rest beside it.

"Excellent!"

She plugged it in and tested it to make sure it worked, smiling as she did so.

The rest of the boxes were all filled with Willow's books and miscellaneous electronics, most of which were kitchen appliances. Willow got her books on the shelving and fit the most important appliances on the counter-top in the kitchen, tidying the rest away in the cabinets.

She noticed the dishes and wondered how they got there, or where they'd even gotten dishes from. She decided to play detective and had a look around the rest of the kitchen. She found bread, cereal, pasta and bagels and then peered in the fridge, seeing her favourite sandwich fillings and snacks, pasta sauces as well as bacon and eggs for the morning.

She smiled, leaning against the fridge door.

 _She got us all set up. Of course she did._

She realised she probably shouldn't be standing there with the fridge door open, so closed it and headed into the bedroom to tell Tara how grateful she was for everything she'd done for her that day.

She smiled as she passed the bathroom and saw their robes already hanging up and toothbrushes laid out, but the real moment of truth came for her when she walked into the bedroom.

Various artworks that Tara had collected were hung on the walls; like the prints of 1920's Boston she'd bought in the bookstore, which were framed above their bed and other paintings on the walls. Their nightstands were each setup with lamps; a couple of each of their books that were their current reads and had been packed with the bedroom things so they wouldn't get lost; candles on Tara's side and a cell phone holder shaped like a hand on Willow's. There were more books on top of the dresser, as well as some incense.

Willow could see their clothes hanging neatly in the closet and shoes set out in pairs on the floor. It was a larger closet than at school and there was a hanger for each item, unlike the pants/shirt sharing combo they'd had to do before.

There were new, or at least new to Willow, swish red curtains hanging off the windows that matched their red bedding, which Tara was currently finishing assembling.

It was absolutely beautiful, even in its simplicity, and Willow felt the warmth Tara had imparted just in setting it up for them.

This all hit her in the first few seconds of walking in and she had to move back against the wall to stay upright.

Tara looked up when Willow came in and noticed she got a bit unsteady on her feet.

"Honey, are you okay?"

Willow's eyes slowly lifted to Tara's, and she swallowed audibly.

"You know when I said it hadn't hit me yet?" she said, touching the corner of the dresser reverently and moving her hand around to touch everything in the room, "Well it just did."

Tara smiled at Willow's reaction and waited patiently for her to get a proper look around. Finally Willow stood opposite Tara on the other side of the bed and returned the look.

"It looks amazing in here. I… I just… this is it. This is our place."

Tara's smiled turned into a grin and she tossed an undressed pillow towards Willow.

"Make yourself useful, then."

Willow grinned back and together they finished covering the pillows and plumping them up in their spots. When the bed was fully made, Willow made herself comfortable by stretching out on it and kicking her shoes off.

Tara joined her and Willow gave a little testing bounce.

"What do you think? Can it handle three nights a week?"

Tara's head turned to Willow, eyebrow quirked and lips sloped on one side.

"Three nights a week? Are you losing your stamina?"

Willow poked Tara in the chest.

"No, but you might, now you're a working girl and everything."

Tara grabbed Willow's wrist and rolled on top of her. She pressed her hips right into Willow's and wiggled them.

"I'll show you three times a week in one night."

She dropped her lips into Willow's neck and kissed it multiple times before blowing a raspberry.

Willow snorted and giggled and Tara smiled. She left a kiss on Willow's jaw, then laid close to her on her side, head propped up on her elbow.

"Anyway, I can't work until I have my license. The exam isn't until next week and then I have to wait a couple of weeks for it to come through, if I pass."

"'Course you will," Willow replied assuredly, "No doubt. Hey, you were out getting us food and stuff this morning, weren't you?"

Tara nodded softly.

"I wanted you to walk into it all done, but it was too difficult to sneak everything out and I was running out of time to organise a cab and get back on time to see you graduate."

"I would've felt like a rat if I hadn't helped at all," Willow replied, then sighed, "You'll probably want to change everything I put out though."

Tara patted Willow's wrist.

"Come show me."

Willow took Tara's hand and led her out into the living space. Tara looked all around, then hugged Willow from behind.

"I think you did a lovely job."

"You do?" Willow asked, lifting up onto her tiptoes.

"I do," Tara confirmed, kissing the back of Willow's neck, "The penguins look right at home. I don't know if they'll like it when the candles are lit though."

Willow shook her head.

"Penguins are warm blooded."

Tara smiled against the back of Willow's ear and kissed her there too.

"I didn't know that."

They stood like that for a few moments and took in their new surroundings.

"This is…perfect," Willow said finally, exhaling a slow breath, "Hey, where'd you get those curtains in our room?"

"I've had them for ages," Tara replied, gently tapping her fingertips against Willow's stomach, "$5 in the thrift store. I figured we'd need them someday."

Willow broke out of the embrace and turned around to face Tara, eyes slightly down.

"You really organised yourself for all this."

"All what?" Tara asked, reaching out to rub Willow's shoulder.

Willow tossed her hands up in the air.

"This…adult business."

"Well, it was predictable," Tara replied, shrugging one shoulder.

"Not for me," Willow replied with a self-deprecating laugh, "I feel like it's all snuck up on me."

"Well…" Tara started, dancing her fingertips up into Willow's neck, "We don't have to be adults tonight."

"We don't?" Willow asked, perking up and grinning from the tickle.

Tara shook her head.

"Feel like a pizza and ice-cream party?"

Willow bounced on the spot.

"We have ice cream?!" she asked excitedly, then halted and held up her fingers about an inch apart, "Wait. We can be adults _a little_. But we should restrict it to the square footage of the bed."

Tara winked.

"Good call."

Willow blushed and leaned over to press a kiss to Tara's lips.

"Let me go online and find a local pizza place," she said as she bounced over to her laptop case, then paused again, "Shit. Wi-Fi."

Tara just smiled and Willow stared right at her.

"You've organised all the utilities already, haven't you?" she said, shaking her head, "I've barely had time to pee lately. How did you do all this?"

"I had fewer exams than you, most of my finals were assignments," Tara replied as an explanation, "That's why I wanted to have it all done for you. You worked so hard to graduate with honours like you did. I'm so proud of you."

Tara was also very aware Willow was in for a bit of a reality shock for life after college and wanted to ease her into it as much as she could. Her girlfriend's uncertainty about her future had not been lost on her, but she thought it best for Willow to come to her instead of confronting her with it. Whatever the future held, it would be together, and it was up to Willow to determine the rest.

Willow left her laptop case at the table and came back over to hug Tara.

"Baby, you should have graduated."

Tara shook her head.

"It wasn't that important to me. Not as important as it was to see you. I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

Willow nuzzled her head against Tara's chest.

"That's gonna stay with me forever."

Tara dropped a kiss on top of Willow's head.

"Just like me."

Willow squeezed Tara tightly.

"God, Tara, I love you so much. And our home. I'm so happy right now. I feel like I can't express it enough and you don't know."

"I do know, and I feel the same," Tara reply, adding a soft sway into their embrace.

Willow pressed her lips against the V of Tara's shirt, then continued kissing up Tara's throat and finally held her face as she planted a warm kiss on her lips.

She lingered for several seconds, then pulled back with a 'mwah' and a grin.

"Pizza!"

She grabbed her laptop case again and set herself up on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table. She asked Tara to call out the Wi-Fi password, and in minutes she had the area figured out.

"Okay, there's three places that deliver close by; one Domino's, one Italian restaurant and one trendy pizza bar."

"You look very at home," Tara commented, coming back from the bathroom.

"I am," Willow replied happily, "I vote for the Domino's. Guaranteed consistency and there's 10% off a first online order."

"I don't mind what we get, honey. You choose," Tara replied, cosying up to Willow with her feet curled under herself, "You can order online now?"

"Uh huh!" Willow replied, clicking through the ordering process.

"Cool," Tara replied, resting her head on Willow's shoulder and watching her do it.

Willow leaned her head back against Tara's and pointed excitedly at the screen.

"Look, there's a tracker. So you know exactly when it's coming."

"And we can make sure we have clothes on," Tara commented with a softly sloped smile.

Willow set the laptop down on the table and cuddled into Tara, holding her around the waist.

"Remember the time I almost went out to collect with no pants on?" she asked as she traced Tara's toes in her plain black socks, "Your socks are so boring."

Tara tilted her head inwards and kissed Willow, whose hand moved back up to Tara's hip.

"Mmm, but your lips aren't."

"Do they make up for my lacklustre under-shoe attire?" Tara asked, pulling gently on a piece of Willow's hair.

Willow's hands slid down and cupped Tara's rear.

"They might have to show me some pomp and splendour."

Tara moved to hold Willow's face and rubbed both of her thumbs across her girlfriend's lips.

"I can make them plump and tender…"

"Oooh…" Willow replied, sighing as Tara's arms crossed behind her neck and the thumbs were replaced with lips.

They made out fairly innocently for several minutes, but were starting to heat up when Willow noticed the tracker bar was filled with colour.

"It left the store!" she said, then looked alarmed, "Shit, do you have cash?"

Tara messed up her own hair as she puffed out a breath, then stood up and went over to her purse. She took out a couple of bills from her wallet and left them on the corner of the table before heading into the kitchen.

"I got you beer, do you want one?"

"Are you having one?" Willow asked, perching herself on the corner of the couch.

Tara slid out a bottle of red wine from beside the new bread bin she'd bought.

"I might open the bottle of wine I got."

Willow stood up and walked over.

"Can I have a glass?"

"Of course you can," Tara replied and turned to open the silverware drawer.

"Wait do we have a…" Willow started, then grinned when Tara spun around with the item in question, "Bottle opener. You don't miss a trick. Guess I don't need to ask about wine glasses."

Tara produced two wine glasses from the cabinet and spun them around by the stem. Willow shook her head in amazement at the attention to detail Tara had paid to their new home, knowing that ten times the amount of work she'd done that afternoon had gone in to making it as homely as it was now.

"Do we eat at the table?" she asked, wondering if she should set plates.

"Wherever you want, sweetie pie," Tara answered as she poured two decent glasses of wine.

Willow stood up on her tiptoes and turned her ankles out as she leaned against the breakfast bar.

"I think that proper pizza and ice-cream party etiquette dictates that you share the box and the tub all cuddled up with no silverware for the first and only one spoon for the second."

Tara held out one glass for Willow.

"Couch it is."

They went back to the couch and Willow held the body of the glass in both hands and sipped from it like it was a bowl. She swished it around in her mouth and licked her lips as it went down.

"It's nice. Fruity."

Tara leaned over and pressed her lips into Willow's neck.

"You're nice and fruity."

"Is that a gay joke?" Willow asked, trying not to giggle as Tara's lips tickled her skin.

"This is pretty gay," Tara conceded, gently scraping her teeth against Willow's pulse-point, "But I'm also very serious."

Willow shivered and would have sloshed some of her wine had she not taken that generous first sip. She felt Tara's mouth get dangerously close to that dip in her throat which would have signalled game over for any resistance, when the intercom buzzed through the room and forced Tara back.

"I'll get it," Willow squeaked, leaving her wine down on the coffee table and snatching the cash before Tara was even fully upright.

Tara sat back and smiled to herself, until a minute later there was a knock at the door. She answered and Willow walked in sheepishly.

"Gonna have to remember that key. Can't just walk back in anymore."

Tara closed the door behind them.

"Pizza smells good," she said as she followed Willow back to the couch and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck, "So do you."

Tara couldn't get enough of Willow's skin and just wanted to have her lips against her constantly. Willow blushed as she sat down with her legs under her. She opened the pizza box and inhaled it.

"Pizza steam is my second favourite kind of steamy."

Tara sat beside her and pulled a slice up so the cheese stretched. Willow turned her head in and nibbled it free, making Tara laugh. They were both starving, having grabbed a quick breakfast that morning and not eaten since. The pizza was quickly demolished and they ended up cuddling back up together, sharing sips of each other's wine.

"You know what we've never done?" Willow asked, resting her chin on Tara's shoulder, "We've never had a bath together."

Tara's eyes sparkled and she smiled.

"That sounds like something we should fix."

"Right now?" Willow asked eagerly and got a nod in response, "I'll go start it!"

She scurried off and the sound of the tap starting came moments later. Tara broke up the pizza box and disposed of it.

"Willow, do you want more wine?"

"Grab me a beer!" Willow shouted back.

Tara refilled her glass and popped the cap on a bottle of beer. She then brought their drinks into the bathroom with the ice cream tucked under her arm. Willow was midway through the panty-push shuffle, so Tara joined her in removing her own clothing.

When she was undressed, she embraced Willow from behind.

"Is it nice and hot for us?"

Willow pushed her naked butt back into Tara.

"Come closer, I can't hear you."

Tara pressed herself flush against Willow's back and nuzzled her nose to Willow's ear from behind. Willow giggled and rubbed the hands splayed on her stomach.

"So how do we do this?"

"I think the traditional way is to sit in," Tara replied as she watched the soap bubbles float around the surface, "While it's warm."

Willow poked a good-natured elbow behind.

"I mean do we do both do back-to-tub or one back-to-tub and the other back-to-front?"

Tara tilted her head as she considered the tub.

"I think we should start either end and see what happens from there."

"Okay!" Willow agreed and bounced over to turn the tap off and take her side.

She decided not to mention her carefully calculated water displacement math to allow them both to sit comfortably, mostly because she was distracted as Tara's pendulous breasts hit the water and floated.

"So…this is nice."

Tara handed Willow her bottle of beer and relaxed back against the tub with her own glass, leaving the ice-cream on the side.

"We should get a bath pillow."

Willow sipped some beer and left the bottle on the toilet cistern to rest, then ripped the lid of the ice-cream. She enjoyed some generous spoonfuls, then fed Tara some across the bath. Tara got the taste for it and took the tub. Willow took one of Tara's feet under the water and massaged her thumbs into the sole.

"I could so get used to this."

"And you're not even the one getting a foot rub," Tara replied with a content sigh, letting the cool sweetness slide down her throat, "But I can fix that too."

She put the ice-cream on the shampoo shelf and took Willow's foot to return the gesture.

Willow's foot was particularly ticklish, and in response her other foot kicked out and had a toe land in a particularly sensitive spot of Tara's.

"Jesus, Willow," Tara groaned, her legs squeezing together to ease the pain in her groin.

"Sorry, sorry!" Willow replied with a blush, "Never shared a bath before. Navigating the space issue."

Tara shifted her hips a couple of times, then started to scoot around.

"Let's try this way."

She settled her back against Willow's front, who rubbed Tara's thigh under the water.

"This is definitely good for me. I am a-okay with this arrangement."

Tara settled back against Willow.

"Now this is a comfortable bath pillow."

Willow's hand snaked up to cup Tara's breast.

"And this is my favourite bath toy."

"I bet you had a hundred toys in the tub with you when you were little," Tara replied with a crooked grin, "And your ducks weren't just ducks…they were superhero astronaut ballerinas."

"No!" Willow retorted, "They were superhero astronaut scientists."

Tara rubbed her toes against Willow's foot.

"Of course."

"What did your duckies do?" Willow asked, running some water through her fingers.

"They were just a family," Tara replied, closing her eyes as she thought back, "With two mommies."

"Really?" Willow giggled, "You really were a baby gay!"

"My mom never minded," Tara continued quietly, "One time my dad overheard. I remember shouting."

Willow closed her arms around Tara's stomach and kissed her cheek three times in quick succession.

"I love you so much and we'll be our own duckie family someday."

Tara lifted one of Willow's hands to her mouth and kissed the back of it.

"We already are."

Willow placed both hands over Tara's and linked their fingers through. She whispered in Tara's ear and they relaxed together until the water turned lukewarm.

"Prunification is occurring," Willow said, wiggling her fingers in demonstration, "And meltification of the ice-cream. Might be able to save it if I get it back in the freezer."

Tara glanced at her empty glass.

"And my wine stores are depleted…"

"I think you're developing novinophobia," Willow replied with a grin, "The fear of running out of wine. Geddit?"

Tara rolled her eyes as she stood up and stepped out.

"I think you have badjokeitis."

"You can talk," Willow retorted, taking Tara's hands to help her up when offered.

She grabbed a towel and started to pat Tara's chest, then got on her knees to dry her legs.

"Drying you off is the best part."

Tara looked down at the top of Willow's head.

"I wouldn't say I'm dry…"

Willow paused with the towel around Tara's feet, looked up, then straight ahead at what was in her direct eyeline. Her eyes clouded with arousal and she straightened up quickly.

"Wanna go be adults now?"

Tara grinned and offered her hand again, which was readily taken. They hurried into the bedroom and Willow eagerly guided Tara onto the bed before crawling on top of her, ice cream forgotten and left for better tastes.

Willow kissed Tara immediately and deeply, while their damp bodies slid together. There was some slipping and Tara narrowly avoided another sensitive hit, but Willow pulled her leg back in time and managed quite a graceful slide of her thigh between Tara's legs.

Tara's ass skated down the sheet at the same time as Willow's thigh slid against her and resulted in a happy accident of friction. Tara pulled at Willow's hip to repeat the movement and thrust up when she obliged.

The action caused a steady movement in the bed, and in turn, the headboard started to knock back against the wall. Tara was used to a squeaky bed, but the thump of the board was new and very palpable as it matched the way Willow moved.

It made her uneasy and was very distracting.

"That headboard is really loud," she said with a very slight pant in her breath.

Willow started kissing Tara's neck and palmed a breast in her hand.

"Who cares?"

"Our neighbours might," Tara countered, pushing Willow gently off her, "This is a shared wall."

Willow puffed out a breath of frustration.

"So we can only have sex that doesn't move the bed?"

Tara rubbed the front of Willow's shoulders to calm her down.

"I just don't want to piss off our new neighbours on the first night."

Willow calmed under Tara's touch, let herself breathe for a moment, then hopped off and walked over to the closet.

"Where did you put all our scarves and stuff?"

Tara sat up and watched Willow's butt as she walked.

"…on the floor somewhere."

Willow, predictably, bent down and started trying to root them out. After a few moments, she felt something dangling at her head. She looked up and found the scarves all hanging up. She retrieved two and brought them back to the bed.

"You put them on a hanger."

"Oh, did I?" Tara asked innocently, "My mistake."

Willow tied a scarf to each headboard post, where they were hitting the wall.

"Now. It's padded."

Tara glanced either side of her at the dangling scarves.

"I thought I was getting tied up."

Willow's eyes went wide and before Tara knew it, her arms were bent up against the headboard and her wrists were being bound by the scarves. Willow didn't tie them too tight, but they were secure enough that Tara couldn't slip out.

Willow ran her fingers from Tara's wrists down her arms and sat into her lap.

"Do you remember our word?"

Tara's head was swimming with arousal but she was coherent enough to nod.

"Tell me so I know," Willow prompted, trailing her fingers down either side of Tara's clavicle to meet at her chest.

Tara swallowed a few times to regain some moisture in her mouth.

"Hippopotamus."

Willow started to grin, then stopped.

"Are you saying it so I know or because you want to stop?"

Tara quickly shook her head.

"No, don't stop."

Willow nodded and resumed her touching.

"Oh, I won't," she replied seductively as she pressed her torso against Tara's.

The scarves suddenly pulled against the wood as Tara's wrists strained against the fabric and her cheeks turned a bright red. Willow turned and teasingly shook her butt a little.

"You want to grab my ass, don't you?"

Tara's fingers splayed and curled in a claw motion and Willow knew she was going to have a lot of fun that night.

She bounced back around in Tara's lap and watched Tara's face instantly drop to follow her breasts. Willow put her chest close to Tara's face, then pulled back right before the moment of contact.

Tara's eyes were pained but her mouth was silent. Willow stretched her arms out either side of Tara so again, her breasts were close but not quite within Tara's reach.

"You're being verrrry quiet."

Tara tried to swallow again, but moisture wasn't coming.

"Ah, I get it," Willow continued with a grin, "It's all gone a little…south."

She used her index fingers to tickle each of Tara's cheeks, then brought their mouths together in a soft kiss.

"You don't have to say anything…" she whispered then pulled Tara's bottom lip between her teeth, "But I bet I can make you moan."

Her lips moved down to Tara's throat and she kissed the protuberance of her girlfriend's larynx as she swallowed. Her tongue dipped out and down to the hollow of Tara's throat and licked right back up to her chin.

Tara's head lolled back as she moaned and elongated her neck, offering it all to Willow.

Willow scraped her teeth along the most sensitive patches of Tara's skin, paying particular attention to her pulse point and right under her ear.

"You like that?" Willow asked, tickling Tara's ear with her tongue.

Tara shuddered and her hips squirmed on the spot. Willow gently grinded down so their thighs skid against each other, making their mounds momentarily graze. She took Tara's lips again and the kiss was passionately returned.

Tara used her tongue to show the domination her hands couldn't, but Willow remained in control and pushed the kiss back into Tara's mouth. She kissed Tara until she was breathless, then moved her mouth down to her girlfriend's nipples.

Her hands curved over Tara's hips and behind her rear, then slowly slid inwards along Tara's thighs. She palmed them until they were warm, then slid one finger between Tara's lips and raised her head to look her girlfriend in the eye.

Tara was heavy-lidded and still straining against her restraints. Willow pressed their torsos together again as her finger swirled around in Tara's arousal.

Tara's blood was pumping hotly through her veins and she loved being at Willow's mercy. Being restrained made her ironically feel totally unrestrained and aroused beyond belief.

"Please, Willow," she begged breathlessly.

Willow licked up from the base of Tara's neck.

"I like the sound of that…"

"Please, Willow," she repeated throatily.

Willow dragged her fingertip up to Tara's clit and applied some pressure. Tara's hips jerked.

"More."

Willow's finger paused and Tara quickly corrected herself.

"-please."

Willow smirked and resumed circling Tara's clit. Her other fingers dropped, gathering moisture on the way, and slipped inside Tara in one quick movement.

Tara immediately cried out in pleasure and the scarves grew tense under the straining of her arms. Willow dragged her fingers in and out to the sounds of groaning until Tara was red-faced and panting.

Willow contemplated some more teasing torture but decided Tara looked too much in need. She curled her fingers inside and watched Tara as the nuances of ecstasy rode out across her face.

Tara came hard and fast, all over in a second but filling her entirely. Her whole body wracked and shuddered until finally her wrists hung limply and her lungs fought for breath.

Willow brought Tara down gently, then finally left her, wiped her fingers and loosened the scarves from Tara's wrists. Tara slumped forwards against Willow, who started to gather her in for a hug, but instead found herself pushed on her back with her arms pinned above her head.

She could only grin.

"How the tables have turned."

Tara was still sweaty and mussed, but she had Willow exactly where she wanted her. Their feet were up by the headboard and playing with each other as Tara brought her lips into Willow's neck.

She held Willow's wrists tightly to mimic the sensation she'd had and thoroughly enjoyed the power of being on the other side. Willow squirmed and kicked as Tara's stomach brushed against hers.

Tara released Willow's wrists and grabbed her hips, to make a speedy journey downwards. She bent one of Willow's knees up and exposed her slickness to the air for a moment before moving her mouth in and tonguing her greedily.

Willow's head was dangerously close to hanging off the end of the bed, with her body pushing upwards under the weight of Tara's head dipping into her again and again. Her neck eventually gave way and dropped over the side, but she was too far gone to notice the rhythmic thump of her head.

Tara's hands moved from Willow's thighs to her stomach and gently raked her nails there. The groan that followed floated down to her ears and she moved her tongue in against Willow's clit to hear more.

She felt that squirm in her girlfriend's hips and held them down to keep her mouth on point.

Willow went wild feeling Tara's firm clutch and her fingers started to tighten in the sheet. Heat was pulsating through her and her muscles began to grow taut with building tension. She felt Tara take her clit into her mouth and hum to create a vibration, making her explode on the spot.

She ripped the sheet right out of the corner of the bed and it landed over Tara's head. Tara wiggled her face out from under it, just as Willow lifted her head up to see what had happened.

She stared at Tara's messy hair and face encased in the fabric for a few seconds, then started to giggle and accidentally slammed her head back down against the bedframe.

"Ow," she said, but made no effort to straighten herself out.

Tara took the corner of the sheet and wiped her mouth with it, then fixed it and climbed the rest of the way up Willow's body. She leaned over her girlfriend's hanging head to place a kiss in the hollow of her throat.

"You'll wake up with the worst neck cramp if you stay like that."

"Good excuse for getting a massage from you," Willow replied, glancing up at Tara without moving at all.

Tara drew a circle on Willow's collarbone.

"I'll give you one anyway…I'll give you anything."

Willow blew out a breath, then lugged herself up with a huff of air. She collapsed onto her stomach the other way around, and Tara joined her, with a few kisses to Willow's butt and spine on the way. She settled her head on the pillow beside Willow and pressed their lips together.

"Didn't imagine that when I first saw the headboard."

"I did," Willow replied with a blush, "You know, if you ever wanted to play with scarves on me…you seem to be the only one getting tied up or blindfolded."

"S-sorry," Tara replied, feeling inadequate for not initiating.

"No, no!" Willow said quickly, "I wasn't criticising. It's me, I never said anything. So now I'm just…saying something."

Tara put a finger on Willow's lips, then threw a leg over to straddle her.

"Well, now you're going to listen to me say something."

Willow grinned.

"Ok–"

"That wasn't a question," Tara cut her off as she started to tie the scarves to Willow's wrists.

Willow's eyes went wide and she turned her lips inward to stop herself from speaking so she could enjoy every moment of this.

"Hello, Ms. Take-Charge Tara. It's been a while."

Tara paused.

"Did I ask you to speak?"

Willow quickly shook her head.

"No, ma'am."

Tara pressed her face up close to Willow's.

"Then don't," she said in an evocative whisper.

Willow's eyes stayed locked on Tara's, wide and unmoving. She nodded quickly and Tara rewarded her with a steamy kiss. Willow found herself in the same trap as Tara, her wrists pulling at the scarves to grab her girlfriend's cheeks.

She was surprised by how intense the accompanying gush of arousal was but not in the slightest displeased and moaned into Tara's mouth. She felt Tara's tongue enthusiastically attack hers in response, making her skid and squirm.

Tara broke the kiss and looked at Willow with that sultry look in her eye that made Willow tremble.

"Here's what I have to say," she said, sitting back to give Willow a full view of her body, "You're. Mine."

She kissed down to Willow's bellybutton until her girlfriend's scent caught in her nose. It made her belly flop and she made a sound akin to a growl.

"Jesus," Willow panted upon hearing it, her hips lifting and twisting in the way her hands were stopped from doing so.

Tara yanked Willow's hips down until she was lying with her arms splayed above her and moved over Willow's body, hovering so they were just barely grazing.

Willow's eyes pleaded silently with Tara's, who grinned and turned the graze into a grind. Willow felt the prickle of Tara's hard nipples against her own first, then the slide of their bellies and finally their mounds brushing together. Willow's legs spread and she welcomed the more direct contact.

"Oh my god," Willow groaned, neck tilting back into the pillows.

Tara tongued Willow's bared neck, licking the beads of sweat falling down. Her hand palmed Willow's thigh, pulling her up and in so they were both getting alternating contact. Her lips moved down to Willow's chest, nibbling on her nipples and areolas to satisfy her own oral fixation.

Her nerves were on fire and Willow seemed to be feeling much the same way, judging by the sounds coming out of her mouth. Tara lifted herself back up and took Willow's lips again for that final push together.

Willow came instantly, violently pulling against the restraints and Tara came with her, holding her down with the weight of her body, which only heightened Willow's pleasure.

Tara slumped against Willow's body, smiling and very gently continuing to rub herself against Willow until the tingling subsided. She yanked at the scarves until they became loose and Willow took her wrists back, rubbing them but with a very satisfied smile on her face.

"Yep, that's decided - scarves are my new favourite accessory."

Tara's lips curled against Willow's chest and Willow crossed her arms above her head.

She stretched all the way down to her toes and sighed contentedly.

"Maybe this adult business won't be so bad after all."


	2. Chapter 2

**FivebyFive89** – Sorry to hear you had a bad day but glad to have you on board :)

 **Boris Yeltsin** – Thanks!

 **Luxor** – Well I'll certainly try to fit in Willow in a tux if I can! Can't think of anything immediately that would put her in one from my outline, but I'm always adding extra chapters as I go along.

 **Slupton** – Hi, I'm glad you enjoyed it and there's definitely more to come :)

 **JustJane18** – Light bondage for everyone!

 **jai** – Who doesn't? Glad you enjoyed it :)

* * *

Willow stumbled out into the living room, rubbing her eyes.

"Morning, sleepy," Tara greeted from the kitchen, moving a wooden spoon around a large bowl.

Willow picked up her phone from the coffee table and checked the time, surprised.

"I never sleep this late."

"Well, it was technically morning when we went to sleep," Tara replied with a smirk, "I thought you could use the extra zzzs."

Willow nodded gratefully and approached the kitchen.

"What's going on in there?"

"Just something I used to do with my mom," Tara replied softly, smiling down fondly at the bowl, "Picked up the ingredients in that store on the corner. The owner was there and he rounded down the price for the 'pretty lady'."

Willow brow furrowed.

"It wasn't creepy, it was sweet," Tara clarified when she saw it, "At least it was with his big toothy smile and cheery Indian accent."

Willow relented and shrugged, trusting Tara's judgement.

"Pancakes?" she asked as she looked over Tara's shoulder and saw the batter mix, "Wait, you told me about this. Pancakes and The Beatles on weekends."

Tara smiled over at Willow tenderly.

"I love that you remembered."

Willow matched Tara's smile and kissed her softly.

"Wait there," she said and went over to open up her laptop.

After a couple of minutes 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' started to play and Tara's smile couldn't have gotten bigger.

"Funny shapes or rounds?"

"Both," Willow answered with the same smile, "I don't suppose some maple syrup made it onto your list?"

Tara nodded towards the fridge and Willow hurriedly went over to procure the amber nectar. She got two plates down and stood over Tara to watch her.

"Hey," she said sweetly when she saw Tara make her a heart.

"Wait 'til you see the next one," Tara replied confidently, having gotten her practice in, "Eat this while it's hot."

Willow stood at the breakfast bar and smothered her heart in syrup.

"Gweat pamcakes!" she complimented around a full mouth.

"Thank you," Tara replied modestly, then finished up her current one and moved over to slide it onto Willow's plate.

"Whoa!" Willow exclaimed wide-eyed as she looked at her pointy-eared Spock pancake, "You did that from memory?"

"That poster did greet me every morning for two years," Tara replied with a wry smile.

"Colour me impressed," Willow replied giddily, deciding to take a seat at the table, "You having some?"

"Uh huh, I'll be right there," Tara replied as she whipped up some rounds in a stack for them to share.

She put all of the dishes in the sink to soak and joined Willow at the table, bringing along two glasses and the orange juice with her.

Willow downed a glass on the spot and Tara found herself eating hungrily after the first bite, her appetite whetted. She thought back to the last time she ate and suddenly stood up.

"Crap."

Willow watched in confusion as Tara went into the bathroom, then grimaced when she returned holding the dripping, melted carton of ice-cream.

"Whoops."

"Whoops indeed," Tara replied, trashing it and washing her hands, "I hate throwing food out."

Willow grinned.

"There was no chance when you got naked in front of me. Its fate was doomed."

Tara blushed and sat back down.

"I think we can consider it worth it, this time."

Willow ran her finger along her plate to gather every last drop of syrup.

"Well so far I'm liking being graduated. Booze, baths, sleep-ins, pancakes, free time with my missus."

"At least until next week," Tara replied, cutting up the last of her pancakes, "We should get out and see the neighbourhood today. Properly, as residents, not just strolling through."

Willow's hank snuck up on Tara's and circled on top.

"But there's so much to christen…"

Tara dabbed her mouth with her napkin and left it on her empty plate. She turned her hand in Willow's, eyes taking on a certain sparkle.

"Are you saying it's our spiritual duty?"

Willow fixed Tara with a provocative grin.

"I'm saying this table looks like a pretty great place to start…"

Tara's lips quirked with more than a slight sultry undertone.

She scooted her chair back and pounced.

* * *

Tara woke up with the sun to find herself already mid-stretch, with her arms extended above her head.

Her fingertips brushed against the wood of the headboard and her palms pressed flat against the slats as she finished off the stretch. Her fingers closed around the slats and she gave them a little tug, smiling and deciding that after a few days of thorough testing that the headboard really was a nice addition to the bedroom.

She accidentally jostled the bed as she did so, which made Willow stir.

"Hmmmph?"

Willow turned her head on the pillow and her eyes slowly blinked open. She smiled at her favourite morning sight, Tara's sleepy face.

"Morning," Tara greeted, stretching her toes and wiggling them against Willow's under the blanket.

Willow rubbed her toes along Tara's foot, then up her calf and scooted closer. She cupped the back of Tara's neck, splaying her fingers out and pulled her in for a leisurely good morning smooch.

She left three long, soft kisses on Tara's lips before pulling away, but staying close enough that their foreheads and noses touched.

"Good morning," Willow returned, massaging the back of Tara's neck, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Tara replied sleepily, "Better waking up with you."

"Not so nervous anymore?" Willow asked, softly twirling the hairs on the nape of Tara's neck.

Tara had her licensing exam that morning and her nerves had been fluttering the night before. However…

"You calmed me down…" she replied with a sultry, sloped smile.

Willow blushed and slid her hand off Tara's shoulder and down her arm. She took Tara's wrist, then linked their fingers.

"Is it just me or are we having _amazing_ sex in this bed?"

Tara pressed a kiss to Willow's jaw.

"Just the bed?" she asked in a throaty whisper.

Willow shuddered and shook her head.

"Definitely not."

She tilted her head until her lips were at Tara's lips and she could kiss her again. Her hand dropped Tara's to slide around her waist and pull them in close, while Tara's hand curved over Willow's ass to really get them locked together.

Tara slipped her hand under the back of Willow's top and ran her fingers along her girlfriend's spine as she eased off the kiss.

"I have to go soon. I better shower…"

Willow pouted and didn't let go but eventually relented.

"I'll make you breakfast!" she offered cheerily, then added on sheepishly, "Well, I'll pour some milk in your cereal. We haven't been making much use of that oven."

Tara swung her legs off the bed and pulled her arms above her head for one last stretch.

"I know, I need to start cooking us meals. A few pasta salads and pancakes doesn't count. Plus, take-out is expensive and bad for us. I'll cook this evening."

"I'd offer, but you remember the whole camping frank'n'beans experience…" Willow replied, scrunching up her nose.

Tara smiled back and affectionately plugged that cute, scrunching nose.

"I'm not that great but I'll rustle us up something. I'll get some real groceries on the way home."

She leaned over and placed another kiss on Willow's lips, then stood up and disappeared off into the bathroom. Willow watched her go until the last of Tara's ass wiggled out the door. She smiled and laid back to do her own happy stretching, then rolled out of bed with a bounce and headed out into the kitchen to pour her some cereal and juice.

As the stream of orange juice hit and sloshed around the glass, she suddenly became very aware of her full bladder. She pulled the juice back so she wouldn't be subjected to the analogous sound and crossed her ankles. She moved between leaning dramatically against the counter and dancing around to ease the ache, but nothing worked enough to make the fullness go away.

In their dorm, when Tara had been in the bathroom and she needed to relieve herself, she ran down the hall to the communal toilets. What little she knew of her closest neighbour, who had only ducked his head out a few times to leer at them as they came and went, made her think he might have cameras installed in his bathroom. She would prefer to pee in the sink than step over his threshold.

She glanced at the sink, then quickly away again before hurrying over to the bathroom door and knocking loudly.

"Tara?" she called, one hand holding her crotch as the sound of the shower water beating down made her sweat, "I gotta go."

"Okay!" Tara called back.

Willow waited for some kind of continuance, desperately leaning against the door.

"…are you almost done?"

"There's shampoo in my hair," Tara called out again, "Come in, just go."

Willow writhed uncomfortably and cracked the door open.

"But you're in there."

Willow could see Tara's outline through the shower curtain, who was shampooing her hair and had her head tilted back so the water was hitting her body.

"Dorm walls are thin, Willow. I've heard you pee before."

Willow was distracted watching Tara's silhouette for several seconds before the trickling water seeped into her subconscious and she couldn't bear another second. She ran over to the toilet, dropped her pyjama bottoms and finally emptied her bladder with a relieved sigh.

"Just don't flush–" Tara started to say, just as Willow flushed and made the stream of water in the shower turn molten hot for a few seconds, "Fff…!"

"Shit!" Willow said, pulling the lever up as if she might be able to stop the flush, "Sorry!"

There were a few moments where Willow could practically hear Tara grimacing, before she spoke again.

"It's okay. It's normal again. No harm done."

"I'll just, um…" Willow stumbled over her words, before just running out and washing her hands at the kitchen sink so she didn't have to stay there another second.

Tara appeared in a robe, towel-drying her hair a few minutes later. She smiled at Willow when she saw her breakfast set out on the table. Willow didn't return it, though, instead staying behind the breakfast bar and fidgeting with her hands.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Tara replied easily as she dried her ears and left the towel on the back of the chair, "Just don't flush next time. Leave the seat down and I'll do it when I get out."

Willow blushed and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks. I don't plan on busting in on you all the time or anything."

"When you gotta go, you gotta go," Tara replied, taking her seat and pouring milk into her cereal from the carton.

Willow made a face and turned away, pretending to busy herself making toast. She just nibbled at it as Tara ate up her cereal and finished her juice. Tara came to bring her dishes into the sink and noticed the avoiding eyes.

She put a hand on either of Willow's shoulders to get her attention.

"Are you embarrassed you had to pee in front of me?"

Willow turned a crimson colour and nodded. Tara pecked her on her red cheek.

"Well, don't be. It had to happen at some stage if we're going to live together for the rest of our lives."

That actually comforted Willow and she finally smiled.

"Yeah, that's true."

Tara lifted her hands and held Willow's face gently.

"So don't worry about it."

She brought their lips together and kissed Willow softly. Willow settled her hands on Tara's hips and pulled her close, then pushed her up against the sink.

She pressed her hips into Tara's and took a firmer hold of her hips.

"You know, we haven't christened in here yet…"

Tara got that look in her eye and smirked. She closed her hands around Willow's neck and nodded behind over girlfriend's shoulder.

"We started off against the fridge last night…"

Willow's hands moved to cup Tara's behind and she lifted her up, with Tara's help.

"But the counters are totally virgin."

Tara leaned back as Willow pulled on the tie of her robe, letting the fabric fall off either side. She opened her legs as Willow's hands palmed her thighs and her head tilted back as Willow's mouth met her neck.

She felt Willow's lips in the hollow of her throat and glanced down to see her head getting lower and until it was bobbing between her legs. Her fingers curled under the counter, hanging on as Willow's mouth found her clit and paid it the attention it was throbbing for.

Her breath hitched as Willow's tongue coaxed her clit out and she moaned as Willow's mouth and lips worked her just the way she liked. She put all her weight on one arm so she could press the other hand onto Willow's head and hold her there.

Her hips thrust up faster and faster as she grew closer to orgasm, until her toes finally curled in against the silverware drawer and she called Willow's name out towards the ceiling.

Both hands gripped the counter to keep her steady, one with a few stray red hairs she'd accidentally pulled out. With her heart still hammering she lifted her hand up and let the hairs fall away, until her eyes focused on the flashing lights on the oven. She saw the time flickering and suddenly didn't have time to be out of breath or have a racing heart.

"Shit!"

She jumped away and made a running start for the bedroom.

"What?!" Willow asked, stumbling back a bit from the force, "What did I do?!"

There were sounds of rustling and banging in the bedroom.

"I'll be late! They won't let me into the exam!"

"Oh. Yeah, that's 'shit' worthy," Willow replied, straightening up and wiping her mouth, then calling louder, "I forgot. Sorry! I'll help!"

She went around and gathered Tara's things into her purse and waited by the door to hand it off.

"Bye, I love you. Good luck," she said as Tara sped past her, her feet pounding down the stairs moments later.

Willow watched her leave, a little disappointed with no goodbye, but remembered why she was late and let it go. She went to wash up Tara's dishes and pour some cereal for herself, before going off to shower and get dressed.

She tidied up a little bit, proud of herself for taking the initiative, then watched TV and browsed the web until Tara came, smiling, through the door, carrying a paper bag a few hours later. Willow shut her laptop on her lap to give her full attention.

"How did it go?"

"Really well, I think," Tara answered, going straight into the kitchen to drop the groceries off, "Now I just have to wait, but I'm not too anxious."

Willow visibly slumped with relief.

"Oh, thank god. I felt so guilty."

Tara came back over to Willow, very light on her feet and cheery. She sat down and placed a hand on Willow's knee.

"You have nothing to feel guilty about," she said, leaning over to give Willow a long smooch, "And I'm going to return the favour, don't you worry."

She threw a wink in Willow's direction, making her blush.

"I wasn't," she said, standing with Tara as she went back to unpack the groceries, "Worried, I mean. What did you get?"

"Grabbed a few things," Tara replied as she put the milk in the fridge, "I can make lasagne or chicken and rice tonight. We really do need to find a well-stocked supermarket so I can get fresher things."

"I love lasagne," Willow replied eagerly, "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm kinda sick of pizza. All that dough."

"So no homemade garlic bread?" Tara asked, pulling out a French baguette.

"Let's not go crazy," Willow replied quickly, "I mean, you bought the stick. It would be rude not to make it now."

Tara smirked and laid the bread out on a chopping board.

"Did you eat lunch?"

Willow shook her head.

"Okay, I'll save half of this for later and make us some sandwiches now," Tara said, filling the kettle with water and putting it on the burner, "Coffee?"

Willow nodded.

"We gotta get a coffee maker. Instant is killing me."

"Let me start my job first," Tara replied, picking out sandwich fillings from the fridge, "Which will hopefully be very soon. As soon as I get my licence, I can go down to HR. Salami or turkey?"

"Turkey, please," Willow answered, enjoying seeing how Tara made up the sandwich with just the right proportions of cheese and mustard, "I should be doing this, sandwiches is one of the few things I can't mess up."

Tara handed Willow the knife with a smile.

"Make me one. Salami and pepper jack. A little mayo. Please."

Willow smiled back and started to make Tara's sandwich. She painstakingly filled the sandwich so there would be a piece of everything in each bite and scraped the mayo on with laboratory precision.

Tara watched her, smirking, and when Willow's concentration was at its highest, reached out and grabbed her ass.

Willow leapt up on the spot and spun around to Tara, shocked. Tara grinned, hooked her thumbs into Willow's belt loop and pulled her closer.

"Your concentration face is very sexy."

Willow blushed and toyed with the hem of Tara's shirt.

"I want you to have a nice sandwich. You always give me nice things."

Tara put a finger under Willow's chin and lifted it to kiss her. As their lips met, the kettle started whistling, making them both smile against each other. Tara lingered for another second, then went off to make them coffees, or a mocha in Willow's case.

Willow brought their plates to the table at first, but Tara joined with the mugs and motioned her over towards the large window.

"Let's eat on the fire escape."

Willow shrugged and walked through the big window to sit on the fire escape. She scooted over to make room for Tara and smiled.

"You love it out here."

Tara nodded.

"I think it's cool."

Willow grinned and bumped Tara's shoulder.

"I think you're cool. The cooliest."

Tara nudged back.

"That's not a word."

"You're so cool they had to invent a new one!" Willow retorted, then rested her head on Tara's shoulder.

Tara kissed the top of Willow's head and smiled as they looked out onto the street.

It was everything a peaceful weekday afternoon should be and she enjoyed every moment of the time she got to spend with Willow.

They ate and chatted for the afternoon, using the web to find all kinds of neighbourhood locations and making a list of places to visit and check out. When it came time for dinner, Tara was on cooking and Willow was looking after setting the table.

Willow stood back to admire her table-setting; clean silverware that had gotten an extra shine in the material of her shirt and neatly folded triangular napkins. Three tea lights were lit in a diagonal line between the two place settings and two long glasses sat at the head of each knife. A jug of water that Tara had prepared with citrus fruit had been transferred from the fridge to the table and the light hanging over the table was dimmed to complement the mood of the candles.

It was their first dinner not eaten out of a take-out box of some description and Willow wanted to contribute to it as much as Tara's incredible smelling lasagne that was spending its last few minutes crisping up in the oven.

She adjusted the napkins to have them at a straighter angle, then went into the kitchen where Tara was checking on the garlic bread.

"What else can I do?"

Tara straightened up and dusted her hands free of crumbs.

"Want to make a salad?"

Willow nodded and started to make a salad by throwing some chopped red onion and tomato into some lettuce leaves and pouring a bottle of ranch over it. Tara halted her by putting a hand on her wrist, and showed her how to grate some carrot and slice some cucumber.

Willow was out of her comfort zone by the time Tara crumbled some feta cheese over the top and scratched her head in confusion when her girlfriend began to make up a balsamic vinaigrette when there was a perfectly good and delicious bottle of ranch just sitting there.

In truth, Willow hadn't even known what the glass bottles of oils and vinegars sitting alongside the burner had been and had sort of thought they were just there for decoration.

Tara offered a little bit on the end of a teaspoon and Willow eyed it warily for a moment before tasting it. Her eyes grew wide as it spread over her tastebuds.

"Holy crap, that's delicious. What's in it?"

"I just told you when I was making it," Tara replied with some genial frustration, "It's just olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a little mustard and garlic, salt and pepper."

"I didn't know we had any of that," Willow admitted, "Except the mustard."

"I went to the market on the way home, remember?" Tara replied, pouring some dressing into a little bowl with the spoon and leaving the rest of the jar in the fridge, "It lasts a long time and tastes even better when the garlic infuses a bit."

"Yes, of course," Willow replied, not wanting to appear as culinarily challenged as she felt, "Infuses. The garlic, that is."

Tara took the garlic bread out of the oven and tasked Willow with slicing it, while she brought the lasagne to the table and cut it up. Willow joined with the bread and salad and took her seat while Tara dished her up a generous portion.

It was perfectly layered and steaming, lifting the herby smell to Willow's nostrils. She used her fork to cut a section off, making sure there was some of each layer, and tasted it hungrily. The harmony of flavours was better than any lasagne she'd tasted, even when she'd been in Italy, though she could admit to some bias towards her girlfriend. She quickly took another bite, then one more, before pausing briefly to wipe her mouth with her napkin.

"How did you learn to cook this good?"

Tara was eating slower, savouring everything.

"The only joy I had growing up was food. I learned how to make the most of it."

"But weren't you really poor?" Willow blurted, then immediately cringed at herself.

Tara just smiled.

"Food bank parcels can be surprisingly diverse."

Willow grew quiet and pushed some lettuce around her plate. After a moment, she felt Tara's hand cover hers and she looked up with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. Just thinking. You're poor and…going through a lot… and you're working your ass off to make gourmet and I have all the money I want and living on I'm Chef Boyardee Surprise," she replied, then puffed out a breath, "I'm lazy."

Tara shook her head.

"You didn't know how to eat right. Most teenagers don't. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Willow turned her hand over in Tara's to link their fingers.

"Will you teach me how to cook some things? I wanna know, and be able to cook for you too."

"Of course I will," Tara replied without hesitation, "I bet you'll be a great cook."

Willow happily took another big bite of lasagne, coupled with some garlic bread.

"With as you as my teacher, how could I not!"

* * *

Willow sat, slumped in bed, with her hands resting over her stomach. There was still a pouch there, even though it had been a couple of hours since she finished dinner.

"I can't believe how good your lasagne was. And that I practically ate the _whole thing_."

Tara sat on the bed and swung her legs in.

"You have a stomach of steel," she replied with a smile as she rubbed lotion into her arms, "I'm glad you liked it. I'm a bit rusty, but I have a few recipes up my sleeve."

Willow jiggled her belly.

"Forget the freshman fifteen, I'm gonna get a graduate gut if you keep cooking like that."

Tara playfully rolled her eyes.

"You didn't have to eat the six pieces of garlic bread."

"Oh, I definitely did," Willow replied with a grin, "How's my breath?"

Tara leaned over to smell Willow's garlicky breath.

"Let's just say it's a good thing you're too full to romance me."

"Ouch," Willow replied, holding her hand over her mouth and nose to try and smell her breath, "I double brushed!"

Tara settled under the covers and pulled Willow over to her. She pecked Willow's cheek, then kissed her lips.

"You're worth it."

She was mostly teasing Willow, but she would have endured much more than some residual garlic to see the smile produced on her girlfriend's face. Willow draped her arm across Tara's waist and pressed kisses onto her shoulder.

"I'm excited for you to start your job…but I wish we could stay like this forever."

"You know I'll be home every evening and night, right?" Tara asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Willow's fingers lifted away from Tara's hip and wiggled in gesticulation.

"I meant…worry free."

Tara linked her fingers into Willow's wiggling ones.

"Why would we have worries?"

Willow settled her cheek on Tara's shoulder so she her breath hit against her girlfriend's neck, making the stray hairs on the nape of her neck float away from her skin with each soft exhale from Willow's lips.

"We can't be young and reckless anymore," Willow explained, seeing Tara's lips part each time her breath warmed the skin of her neck.

Tara smirked, lips quirking on one side to show her amusement.

"Were we ever?"

"Maybe once or twice," Willow replied seriously, "Some days we never had breakfast. Most important meal of the day."

"We always had breakfast," Tara countered, "It just wasn't always food."

Willow blushed and hid her smile in Tara's shoulder.

"You're so pretty."

Tara's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What do you want?"

Willow rested her cheek on Tara's shoulder and kissed inside her neck.

"To tell you you're pretty."

Tara's features softened and she turned her head to look in Willow's eye. She tucked a piece of hair behind Willow's ear and kissed her nose.

"You're pretty too," she said sweetly, "Cooking lesson tomorrow?"

Willow nodded.

"Although I did make dessert today."

"And you're the best ice-cream scooper I know," Tara agreed, "At least we got this one back in the freezer."

Willow smiled.

"Thanks. The trick is letting it melt _just enough_ to let the spoon go through while still letting it be solid."

Tara nodded.

"I'll remember that."

Willow threw her arm around Tara's waist and tangled their legs together. It was the first night since they'd moved in that neither had initiated sex, but she didn't mind. Cuddling and sleeping close was hardly a consolation prize.

"I love you Tare-bear. 'Night."

Tara wrapped her arms around Willow and kissed her forehead.

"I love you too."

* * *

"Willow, are you ready?"

Willow looked up from her laptop, brow creased.

"For what?"

Tara sighed from the kitchen.

"You're cooking dinner tonight," she said, leaning against the counter, "Or, I'm showing you how, at least."

"Oh yeah!" Willow replied enthusiastically, abandoning her computer to come and join Tara, "What are we making?"

"Hamburgers," Tara answered, gesturing to the various foods she'd taken out to prepare their meal with.

Willow's nose scrunched.

"Jeez, Tara, even I know how to make hamburgers. Just take it out of the freezer and throw it on the skillet for 10 minutes, maybe turn once or twice."

Tara smirked, her lips quirking up on one side.

"We're making the hamburgers from scratch."

Willow's eyes bugged.

"You can make hamburgers? Just here, in a regular old kitchen?"

"Yes," Tara answered, then picked up some kind of vegetable that Willow couldn't identify, "And we're going to make some corn on the cob and sweet potato fries to go with them."

Willow was mildly alarmed by the dented, rough looking skin of what she could only figure was the sweet potato, because it sure as hell wasn't corn, but smiled when she realised what Tara had planned.

"Hey, that was one of my favourite cafeteria meals."

"I know," Tara replied softly.

Willow leaned over and pressed a kiss to Tara's cheek.

"Thank you. Where do we start?"

"By washing our hands," Tara replied, bringing Willow over to the sink.

Willow washed her hands with surgical precision and dried them on the dishcloth, which she then handed off to Tara to dry her own.

"Okay, first we have to preheat the oven. Food should always go into a warm oven."

Willow nodded and approached the oven, eyeing the different temperatures on the dial.

"How do I know what to put it to?"

"Well most things come with instructions and you'll get a feel for it as you cook more," Tara replied, "We want the oven hot for the fries, so let's go 450°."

Willow turned the temperature dial and then looked at the other one.

"Bake, right? I've cooked fries before, but they were of the frozen variety."

"Right," Tara smiled, then bumped Willow's shoulder, "See, you know stuff already."

Willow blushed, but was pleased. She peeled one of the sweet potatoes with the peeler, while Tara more expertly used a knife on the other one. Tara showed Willow the kind of size they were aiming for, and Willow cut hers up with no injury to herself or the sweet potato.

"Here's my cheat," Tara said, taking out a Ziploc bag and putting all of their fries in, "Best way to coat them in oil. That's what will make them really crispy."

Willow gestured towards the oil and Tara nodded for her to go ahead. Willow gently poured some oil in, looking at Tara to indicate when to stop and twisted the cap back on when about two tablespoons had gone in. Tara closed the bag and handed it to Willow, who looked at it blankly for a second, then got it and started to shake it with a giggle.

"Shake, shake, shake, shake, a-shake it!"

Tara grinned, finding Willow's silliness infectious.

"I'd like to see you shake it."

Willow turned around and shook her butt. Tara burst out laughing.

"Now there's some buns I can get behind."

Willow jumped back around with a lascivious grin.

"You can get behind 'em later," she said, moving in until their noses were touching, "Or any position you want…"

Their lips brushed and Tara cupped one of Willow's cheeks, her fingers splaying out across Willow's face. She tilted Willow's chin down and kissed her softly for several seconds.

"Spread 'em," she said, and Willow's eyes immediately clouded with lust, which made Tara smile, "The fries. Spread 'em out on the sheet."

Willow looked down at the bag in her hands.

"Oh."

She turned back around to the baking sheet and Tara followed, grabbing Willow's ass and standing over her from behind. Willow grinned downwards at the sweet potato and arranged them neatly exactly one inch apart each.

"That looks perfect," Tara complimented, "Nice and even. They'll crisp up better like that. Let's get those in the oven so we can start on the patties."

Willow put the sheet pan in the oven carefully so as not to throw any of the fries out of their place.

"Done!" she said as she closed the oven door, "Let's get a-pattying!"

Tara brought forward a bowl with the ground beef already inside, a whole egg, half an onion, a clove of garlic, a smaller bowl of breadcrumbs and salt and pepper shakers. Willow looked at it all in surprise.

"All this for a couple of hamburgers?"

"Uh huh," Tara replied, bringing the onion onto a chopping board and offering Willow a knife, "How are your chopping skills?"

"Non-existent," Willow replied, making no move to accept the knife, "Maybe you can show me this time."

Tara agreed and started to chop. Willow moved around the other side and turned the hot faucet in the sink on.

"Stops your eyes from watering," she explained off Tara's confused look.

"Great tip," Tara replied with a smile, "Thank you."

Willow waved it off.

"Don't thank me, thank science. And the steam bringing those onion-y vapours away from your eyes."

Tara's eyes did water a bit as she chopped, but not uncomfortably so as she eased the knife around the onion. Willow could tell she was slowing down the process for her benefit and really did try to commit the technique to memory. She knew it would be a long time before she would be able to chop as finely as Tara was, but she figured she could get the same effect with no sliced fingers if she just took her time.

She offered to do the last little bit, mostly as a show of her dedication, and had fun mincing the garlic and mixing it all into the meat. Tara added the egg and breadcrumbs and Willow used her hands to keep mixing it all together. A few shakes of salt and pepper and Tara's hands joined in the meat to show Willow the size patties they wanted.

"Wow, they really are burgers!" Willow said, impressed, as she shaped some more meat, "We're gonna get like six…am I going to be the food vacuum again tonight?"

"No, we'll freeze half," Tara replied, "Then we'll have some in the future when either of us is too tired to cook. I had planned that with the lasagne too, until somebody came along…"

Willow blushed.

"Good idea. The freezing."

Tara got out more Ziploc bags and a label and showed Willow really quickly how to pack and label things while the oil heated up on the grill pan. Willow approved of the efficient abbreviation and date system.

They put their leftover patties in the freezer and Tara tested the oil with a small piece of leftover onion. When it sizzled, she nodded for Willow to bring over the patties and arrange them. Willow pressed each one down against the pan and left the bowl in the sink.

"Now, while they cook, we'll make the corn," Tara explained, "A lot of cooking is all about timing. Plan things out and it's nice and easy."

"It is with you," Willow replied sweetly.

Tara put her arm around Willow's shoulders.

"Corn is the easiest part. Just peel the husks and leave them in the water."

"I can peel!" Willow replied eagerly, going over to where she saw the corns, "Get the water on, assistant!"

Tara smiled and dutifully got a pan of water on to boil. Willow brought the de-husked corn over and put them in the water, while Tara turned the burgers.

"They're looking good. Want to do the buns?"

"Sure," Willow replied with a nod, "Wait, I know this. You like lettuce, onion, tomato, mustard, ketchup but NO mayo, right? That always confused me because you like mayo on other sandwiches."

"I don't like it with beef," Tara replied, "And you like lettuce, tomato, mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise."

Willow held up her hand for a high-five, which Tara returned. They prepared each other's buns side-by-side and Willow squirted a happy face with the mustard on the top bun. Tara saw it and made a heart on the other one, like the pancake, which Willow smiled at.

When their plates were ready to serve up, Tara showed Willow how to melt some cheese on top in the last minute of the patty cooking, then transported the steaming meat to the buns, one on Tara's and two on Willow's.

The sweet potato fries came out next, crispy and slightly charred on the ends. Willow tried to make them look pretty and presentable in stacks while Tara drained the corn and skewered each end with corn holders, melting a knob of butter over each.

They each took their plate and they finally sat down to enjoy their meal. They sat in an L shape at the table so they could hold hands on one side.

Willow dipped one of her sweet potato fries in some ketchup, then smiled lovingly over at Tara as she ate it.

"I love this."

"Yeah, they're good," Tara agreed, returning the smile mixed with one of pride, "Well done."

"No," Willow replied softly, linking their fingers as well as their palms, "This. Living, like this. Us. Together. This is what I want, forever."

Tara lifted Willow's hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Then this is what we'll have. Forever."


	3. Chapter 3

**jaiden83** – she's gradually gotten more forward as the relationship progressed…and going from shacking up in a dorm to really having a home together is a big step forward personally and together so I think it breeds even more familiarity. Glad you got a laugh :)

* * *

Tara wrapped her robe around herself, relaxed after a long, steaming shower.

The room was still misty and she could feel her pores unclogging and refreshing. It was still a treat to take her time in the shower and not worry about the timer blasting her with cold water while still having conditioner in her hair.

She moisturised her face and neck and rubbed the excess into the tops of her breasts to keep them soft to the touch. Her legs were smooth and her hair smelled great and she was just generally feeling pampered and joyful. She'd be starting work soon and it was thrilling to be at the point she'd worked so hard to get to.

She exited the bathroom and turned into their living space, where Willow was sitting on the couch with a ripped envelope lying beside her. She had a letter in her hands, which she was peering at intently.

Tara came over and dropped into the seat next to her.

"Did we get our first mail at our new address?"

She rubbed her toes along Willow's calf, but Willow unusually didn't respond. She was nervously thumbing the corner of the letter.

"Forwarded on from campus. I didn't know they did that."

"They do when you have an 'in' at the admin offices," Tara replied with a grin.

"Oh, right," Willow replied absently, "Yeah. I forgot about that."

Tara glanced over Willow's shoulder and noticed the school emblem in the corner of the letter. Her eyes scanned a few words in and she inhaled softly, feeling the mood shift.

She'd been waiting for this conversation ever since they'd graduated, and guessed that the catalyst to having it had just been introduced.

"Whatcha got there?" she asked, keeping a casual air to her tone.

Willow's knees started to clap together and she stood up to stop it being so noticeable.

"It's, um…from the graduate school I applied to. They wrote before graduation and said I was on a waiting list…and now there's a place."

"Wow," Tara replied, picking up the letter from where Willow had left it on the coffee table to read properly, "Well, that's amazing."

"Uh huh," Willow replied, gnawing on the skin in the corner of her thumb.

Tara wished she was in something other than her somewhat-skimpy robe, so she made sure it was tied tight and her knees were closed before addressing Willow again.

"You don't seem very pleased," she said softly.

Willow shrugged both shoulders, trying too hard to seem indifferent.

"I'm just…thinking, you know. About the logistics. I'd have to take out a student loan."

Tara nodded.

"Yeah, you would."

Willow snatched her thumb away from her mouth, accidentally drawing blood but too preoccupied to notice. She yanked the nearest chair at the table out to sit on.

"That's a big deal. Saddling me – a-and you – with debt for the rest of our lives. You know, when we get married and stuff. Laying it all on you. Legally and such."

"If it's what you want, it's worth it," Tara assured, wanting Willow to work out her own decisions without her being a factor, "We'll pay it back. A lot of people do."

Willow's face was creased with concern and worry and when she finally looked up, it was the most scared Tara had ever seen her.

"What if it's not what I want?" she asked, her voice barely above a hollow echo.

Tara's heart broke; she knew how difficult it was for Willow to admit that. She knew Willow's heart had never been totally bonded to the area she'd chosen to study and Tara got the impression it had been that way since the rift started with her parents. By then Willow wouldn't have had the confidence to change her major and her interest had slowly dwindled since.

Tara had begun to wonder after the research project and picked up on Willow's uncertainty since.

She was very pleased Willow was finally being honest with herself but was under no illusions how difficult this could be. She came over to Willow and knelt at her feet, taking Willow's hands in hers and holding her fingers gently.

"Then don't do it."

Willow forehead creased and uncreased several times, moving between relief at the thought and confusion at the consequences.

"But if I don't do it…what do I do?"

Tara reached up and brushed some hair from Willow's brow.

"Do what makes you happy."

Willow stood up abruptly, unable to stay still, and accidentally knocked Tara over in the process. She was too busy beginning to hyperventilate to notice.

"But I don't know what makes me happy. Apart from you. I thought what I studied did, but it doesn't, not, not like I thought. I turned into a horrible person during the research project and I felt like I was living at home again, jumping for any kind of scrap of attention and feeling like I was only worth my work. It was the whole reason I chose it in the first place; to impress my parents. I don't like the academia and I have zero interest in listening to people's problems all day or hearing the hells they've gone through and I just don't, I don't–"

Tara brushed herself off quickly; she knew it was an accident. She stood up and grabbed Willow by the shoulders.

"Sshh," she soothed calmly, "Breathe."

Willow's cheeks were starting to flame and her eyes were wild.

"How can I breathe!? I just spent four years getting a degree for nothing!"

Willow was struggling, but Tara kept a firm hold on her.

"Having a psychology degree doesn't mean you have to work in psychology. It's a broad degree. It wasn't for nothing."

"So what the fuck do I do?" Willow asked, almost physically tearing her hair out.

"Do you need to know right now?" Tara asked, tone gentle and calming.

"Yes!" Willow screamed.

"Why?" Tara asked, placing her hands delicately on Willow's face.

"Why? Why?" Willow spat, jaw clenched, "Because, because what the fuck do I do with my life?"

She pushed herself out of Tara's embrace and Tara's face hardened.

"Willow, stop pushing me."

Willow flattened her balled fists and looked contrite.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Tara approached Willow again and took one of her hands.

"Can you please take a breath and come sit down with me so we can talk?"

Willow swallowed and let herself be lead back to the couch without argument. Tara got her a glass of water and oversaw her drinking half of it, before sitting beside her again.

"Okay. Now let's not freak out. You don't need to know exactly what you want to do at this moment in time. You know how some people take a year off between high school and college?"

Willow nodded, holding the glass in both hands to keep them occupied and not flailing.

"Yeah."

"You can take that time off now," Tara suggested easily, "Figure out what you want to do. I start work soon, we'll have money coming in. A roof over our heads and food to eat. You can find yourself, or your interests, or whatever you want to call it."

"Don't people travel and stuff?" Willow asked, looking down into her lap, "When they're 'finding themselves'?"

"Do you want to travel?" Tara asked.

Willow shook her head.

"Not without you."

Tara scooted closer and put an arm around Willow's shoulders.

"There are no rules. You can volunteer, learn a new hobby. You never let yourself breathe. You're allowed to breathe," she said softly, but Willow's brow remained permanently creased, "I know you're terrified not to have a plan. But all you've ever known is school. It's okay to take a break."

Willow was, quite literally, at a loss. It was all too big to contemplate in a few moments.

"…I never intended for you to be paying all the rent and stuff."

Tara waved a hand.

"That doesn't matter. How much did you pay for when we were dating?"

Willow shrugged.

"It's not like I kept track."

Tara leaned over and pressed her lips to Willow's cheek, sweetly.

"Exactly."

Willow accepted the few seconds of comfort and stayed close to Tara when she pulled away. Her eyes were sunken and she looked up at Tara like a lost child.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"I know," Tara replied, rubbing Willow's arm, "But it's a lot less scary than facing into a life of something you don't love."

Willow considered that and actually seemed a little shocked that Tara wasn't wrong.

"Yeah…you're right," she said, swallowing again, then offering a weak smile, "Guess you can call me Willow No-Plan. There's a Western name to be jealous of, huh?"

Tara kissed Willow's forehead and Willow leaned her head against Tara's chest.

"I wish I knew like you do. I wish I had that conviction."

"You'll find it," Tara replied, with plenty of that conviction in her voice, "I believe that. I believe in you."

Willow closed her eyes and tried to block out the sound of her hammering heart.

"At least someone does."

Tara kissed the top of Willow's head since the kisses seemed to be soothing her.

"I always have."

Willow swiped at her eyes with her sleeve and took the letter again in her shaking hands.

"So, this is it…I'm rejecting the spot."

Tara rubbed the small of Willow's back.

"Take some time to think it over if you need to."

Willow suddenly had a flash of herself in the future; hair greying, smile non-existent and her face pinched and full of disdain as she was surround by books and papers. She looked way too much like her mother.

The letter was ripped in half immediately.

"I don't."

Tara put her arm around Willow's shoulders, squeezing with praise and pride.

"See, you're sure of something already. Knowing what you don't want to do is just as important as knowing what you do want to do."

The two halves of the letter fell back onto the table and Tara pressed a long, reassuring kiss to Willow's lips.

"Everything will work out. I have no doubt."

Willow pressed her palms together and interlocked her fingers, in her lap.

"How can you be so sure?"

Tara closed her hand around Willow's wrist.

"Because I have faith in you. And that's unwavering."

Willow's head bobbed in a nod and her palms hit together with a nervous twitch. She stood up and looked around, acting as lost as she felt.

"I think I need to lie down?" she asked, smoothing her hair back with both hands to disguise further fidgeting.

"Yeah, come on," Tara encouraged, standing and offering her hand, "I'll lie with you."

Willow took it gratefully and clung to Tara like a child. Tara brought them into the bedroom and lied down with her, on her stomach so she could reach across and play with the ends of Willow's hair, while still sharing the pillow so they were close.

She felt the effects of the hair-playing calming Willow down and matched her breathing so they synced up and created a tranquillity in the air.

Willow felt safe and comforted by having Tara around her and finally felt together enough to turn her head and meet Tara's eyes with her own vulnerable ones. Tara leaned in and pressed a kiss to either eyelid, then an even softer one against her lips.

"I know you're scared and unsure and confused and a thousand other terrifying things. But know, this is where I'm going to be through it all."

She leaned in, forehead to forehead and nose to nose.

"Right by your side."

* * *

Tara gently patted her face with a cold washcloth, careful not to disturb her lightly applied make-up.

She checked the buttons on her blouse to make sure they were all tied to the right hole and checked her neck again that it was hickey-free after Willow getting a little excited the night before.

When there was nothing left to fuss over or recheck, she took in a soft but deep breath and left the bathroom. Willow was carrying a flask over to the table to accompany a lunchbox and water bottle.

"Flask of coffee, packed lunch with completely inoffensive smells to not piss off new co-workers, bottle of water for your desk and an extra apple and banana for energy boosting snacks," she said, feeling very useful and very domestic, "I would have chosen a Snickers myself, but I figure the fruit was more up your alley."

Tara was touched by the effort and walked straight over to embrace Willow. Willow noticed she was clinging on extra hard and returned it with a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey…it's gonna be okay. You were all excited last night. 'Can't wait to start my job, Willow'. That was my impression of you, by the way."

"I am excited," Tara replied, but her voice was less than convincing.

Willow put her hands on Tara's shoulders and looked her square in the eye.

"It's okay to be nervous. First days are like that. But you'll do great. You already did great. They offered you a job before you even graduated for god sake! You're a freaking rock star, Tara Maclay."

Tara smiled bashfully and gave the ends of her blouse another tug.

"Do I look okay?"

Willow nodded.

"Smart. Professional. And very sexy. But don't worry, that's a requisite when it comes to me."

She pulled lightly at Tara's collar, smoothing it, then began gathering up the things on the table and packing them into Tara's new 'work bag' – a plainer, black messenger bag that was wide to accommodate files and had plenty of pockets for miscellaneous other items, like a lunchbox, a water bottle, and Willow's favourite pen that she'd given to Tara as a gift for her first day.

Tara spotted the pen again as Willow zipped up the bag.

"I'll take good care of it."

Willow smiled and placed the strap around Tara's body.

"I know you will. That's why I gave it to you," she said, smoothing out the strap and centering the bag, "Look at my working girl. You know your way on the T, right?"

Tara nodded nervously.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Want me to come with?" Willow asked, squeezing both of Tara's upper arms, "Not like I'm doing anything else while I'm, um, 'finding myself'."

"Are you making fun of my phrase?" Tara asked wryly, "You can call it whatever you'd like."

Willow pursed her lips in an attempted smile. She wasn't totally okay with her new life not-quite-a-plan but she was also trying her best to embrace it. After a few days of being uneasy about it all, they had switched roles as Tara became nervous about starting work and Willow became the reassurer.

"My Not-Gotta-Clue Vacation."

Tara relaxed and grinned back.

"You can be my little housewife-y."

"Okay, okay," Willow replied with a playful roll of her eyes, "Right now I'll be your escort – wait, not that ki– oh, just come on."

She took Tara's arm and her set of keys and walked her out. As they walked down the hallway, their grimy neighbour passed with his mail; his robe way too loose and face dirty, made dirtier by the seedy grin he was shooting at them.

"Ladies."

Willow's nose scrunched and she marched Tara right past him and onto the stairs.

"He is so gross. He looked down my top yesterday when I dropped my keys on my way in."

Tara cast an angry look over her shoulder, but they were already out of sight.

"Make sure you never go into his apartment if he invites you."

"I'm not a total idiot," Willow replied, holding the building door open for Tara, "He won't be getting any more than thought-jollies from me and I won't be giving him much to work with either! Baggy jeans and too-big hoodies when I'm collecting the mail from now on."

"Are you trying to turn me on?" Tara asked with a lopsided smirk.

"Not this early, but hold that thought 'til later…" Willow replied with sparkling eyes.

The T stop was only around the corner, but it took them several minutes to get through the crowds to wait for the train. There was standing room only and zero chance at conversation, so the trip was quiet apart from the bustle of people and the occasional bump into each other.

Willow didn't envy Tara having to make that rush hour trip every day but kept her mouth shut as they walked off the platform back onto the street. When they got to the large office building, Tara started fidgeting with her clothes again.

Willow took her hands to stop her, well-practiced from Tara's handling of her.

"You look great. You'll do great. You are great."

Tara turned her hands in Willow's and squeezed.

"Don't know what I'd do without you."

Willow smiled and forewent a kiss, not wanting to draw attention to or embarrass Tara.

"I'll be here at 5:30pm on the dot."

"You don't have to," Tara replied shyly.

"I'll be here," Willow repeated insistently.

Tara smiled, kissed her own fingers and pressed them against Willow's lips.

"Wish me luck."

"Won't need it, but good luck," Willow replied, releasing Tara's hands, "I love you."

"I love you," Tara replied and went into the building with a wave.

Willow waved back excitedly until Tara was out of sight, then sheepishly lowered her hand as busy people continued to bustle past her. She swung around to join them in-step and made her way back to the T station, where thankfully the line going back wasn't as chaotic. She sat in a seat and played on her phone, hidden in her sleeve.

When she stepped back into the apartment, she felt herself deflate slightly. She had no plans, nothing to do and no Tara to distract her or take care of. It really hit her that they were living real lives now and she was responsible for scheduling and occupying her day.

She had a look around and there was nothing really to do; the place was tidy, the dishes were done, but there was a hamper full of laundry. She considered it, and decided it would be great to be helpful, so she searched for detergent and hiked it downstairs with the bag of clothes.

She had the run of the laundry room to herself as most other people were at work, so she picked out the least old looking machine. She almost emptied out the entire thing straight in, but remembered at the last second about sorting colours and put them on the floor instead.

She carefully considered the machine and filled the tray up with detergent, then set it onto a spin wash like Tara had showed her how all those years before.

She smiled at it confidently as it started to whirr up, for all of ten seconds until suds started bubbling out over the top. Her eyes bugged and her arms flailed before she tried the fruitless endeavour of trying to catch the bubbles as they escaped. When that plan failed as soon as it began, she ran around to trace the plug and yanked it from the socket.

Thankfully, it stopped and Willow grimaced at her wet shirt. She did some sleuthing around the machine and figured out her problem fairly quickly.

"Fill to the line, Willow, not the whole thing! Dammit!"

She spent a couple of minutes pondering what to do and finally decided that she had to finish the clothes now they were thronged or they'd be ruined. She switched the clothes into a different machine, _very_ cautiously put new detergent in to the line and set it to spin again. She waited with baited breath and heaved a huge sigh of relief when it just rattled on like it was supposed to five minutes later.

She looked guiltily at the corner machine and glanced out the door at the landlord/super's office. She knew she had to be and adult and face the music, so she knocked timidly. A grunt gave her permission to enter and she nervously pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.

"Hey, so, um, the machine in there-"

The landlord grabbed a laminated page from atop a filing cabinet and shoved it at her. Willow read the 'Out Of Order' sign and figured if there was trouble enough for him not to even ask what the problem was, she didn't need to alienate herself any further or admit being the culprit.

"Well, okay then. Thanks."

She shut the door, grateful to get out of that little corner of hell and carefully placed the out of order sign on the corner machine.

She hung back and watched the machine shake and jostle and had a naughty thought or two of sitting on top, or sitting Tara on top, though she knew the fear of breaking another machine would keep that fantasy firmly in her head and nowhere else.

When the machine came to a halt, Willow checked that the dial was definitely fixed at the end of the cycle. When she was sure she wasn't causing another sudsy Pompeii, she transferred the load to the dryer, which was a lot easier to use with just a minute timer to negotiate.

There was an old, ripped sticker with time guidelines for the size of the load and Willow was able to estimate from it. She stayed with it to stop and check intermittently, determined not to mess up her first attempt at keeping the chores and their home in order.

She smiled when it was all done and warm to her touch; it made folding less of a hassle and more of a comfort. She decided she liked that part, even if the rest had been gruelling. Finally she arrived back upstairs, quickly got changed out of that damp shirt and packed all their freshly laundered clothes away.

When everything was in its place, she stood in the middle of the living area and checked her watch.

She slumped.

Even with all the excitement, it had only killed a little over an hour.

With not much else to do in the apartment, she chose a book as her next task of choice, and she decided to use her Kindle to find something new she could sink her teeth into. She spotted a leaked copy of a new book called The Hunger Games and figured it looked right up her alley, so she cosied up with a tall glass of iced tea and her reader.

She was halfway through before she looked up again, from a hollow rumble in her stomach. She smiled, happy to have gotten so engrossed and saved her page to come back to the next day; giving her something to put on a schedule and something to look forward to.

Sure, reading wasn't a new experience or discovery, but it was also never a bad thing, and you never know when a book can surprise you or introduce you to something new.

She made herself lunch and made the decision to dedicate the afternoon to really discovering new things she liked - to 'find herself', using the words she'd teased Tara about. She set up her laptop on the table and did a variety of searches related to finding new interests and learning about yourself.

She waded through a lot of wishy-washy blogs and websites promising the secret to enlightenment for the low, low price of $19.99, but nothing with a lot of substance or that she personally found very helpful. She pushed her computer away in frustration and crossed her hands behind her head as she took in a deep breath.

She wasn't sure where to go or what to do next, when she got an IM chat from one of her hacking buddies, inviting her into a challenge.

Willow grinned at her screen and pulled the laptop back to her.

She closed all the tabs, stretched out her fingers and began to do what she did best.

* * *

Tara rode the elevator, trying not to feel intimidated by the other professionally dressed people and thankful that she was the only one to get off on her floor.

She didn't allow herself to pause to take any more breaths, lest she pass out and walked straight into the Department of Children and Families offices. It was just starting to get busy but the receptionist wasn't there yet, so Tara waited. After a couple of minutes, a familiar face popped her head around and spotted her.

Alice walked over with a pleasant smile.

"I heard that we'd hired you. I'm glad the boss took my recommendation."

Tara immediately stood up, her mouth opened in surprised that she'd been recommended at all. Before she could say thank you or form any other thought, Alice jumped right in.

"Do you remember the young mother you visited with me last time?"

Tara's head bobbed quickly. She'd thought about her almost every day.

"Yes, of course."

Alice smiled.

"She got her son back last week. Doing well, both of them."

Tara was slightly stunned at the surge of emotion that stirred in her. She had to quickly pull herself together so she could speak clearly.

"That's wonderful. I'm so happy to hear that."

Alice put a hand on Tara's shoulder, then nodded towards the boss's office.

"Go see the boss, but a little birdy told me you were being assigned to my team, so we'll be talking soon."

She winked and went back to her section of cubicles and Tara approached the office in the back. She knocked politely and waited to be called in.

Mr. Evans beckoned her forwards as she entered, looking through his cluttered desk for papers.

"Hello, hello, Miss…" he started, continuing to root before pulling out a file and reading her name, "Maclay. Nice to see you. We were glad you accepted our offer."

He gestured for her to sit, so she did.

"I was honoured to be asked."

"Well you gotta act fast when one of my best staff says you're one of the brightest young workers that have come through those doors," Mr. Evans said with a jolly Bostonian laugh, which then turned serious, "We know this is your first assignment, but we expect the best from our case workers. There are real children and families in our care."

Tara was still lingering over the first part, but quickly nodded solemnly.

"Yes, sir. I want to do my best. I want to help people."

"If you're still saying that in a couple of months of this day in, day out…then you have a future here," the boss replied slightly jadedly, "I'm putting you on Alice Kenter's team since you worked so well with her last time. Team meetings on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons, she'll tell you the times. Here's your computer and email log-in, you're on desk 4."

He handed her a sheet with information on it and nodded at her once. Tara stood there a little dazed for a moment, then realised he was waiting for her to leave. She stood up a little too quickly and clumsily stumbled out of the door, blushing and clearing her throat as she closed it again.

She wandered over to the section Alice had come out of before and found her desk easily as it was the only one empty. She sat on her chair and patted the desk for a moment, appreciating what a big deal it was that she'd gotten there. She'd barely had a moment when Alice was beside her again, this time holding a pile of files.

"Don't get too comfy, team meeting time."

Tara left her bag down and stood up, eager. Alice beckoned her into a conference room, where three males and two other women were already sitting, some looking a bit worse for wear and all nursing a large coffee.

Alice pointed downwards at a seat, which Tara took quietly. Alice stood at the head of the table and dropped the files in front of her.

"Good morning everyone," she said cheerily, though to little response, "First, let me introduce Tara, our newest member."

People's eyes diverted to Tara, who tried her hardest not to avert her own.

"We all remember our first day, so please be helpful," Alice continued, a slight warning tone in her voice.

The others did all offer smiles and Tara felt like the moroseness was Monday morning blues instead of any animosity towards her. She smiled back, then gratefully at Alice, who acknowledged her with a small nod.

The meeting was fairly standard and almost entirely conducted by Alice, handing out assignments and casework. Tara gathered that the Friday meeting would hear a lot more from everyone else as they reported back and she used Willow's pen to jot down some questions to remember.

When there was only one file left, Alice slid it across the table to Tara.

"Jennifer Patella. Seven years old, first reported last year by her teacher for bruising around her arms. Parents claim clumsiness, daughter backs up the story. She was in the ER again this weekend for a cut lip. We're checking up on her later this morning. She's yours."

Tara stared down at the file and Alice clapped her hands.

"Okay team, let's get to it."

Everyone else ambled back out into the office and Alice pulled her chair around to sit by Tara.

"Don't look so terrified, I'm coming with you," she reassured, opening the file to brief Tara, "The parents are tricky and know how to work the system. I need to catch them unaware or get the girl to talk. You have to understand, even abused kids are scared to speak out and there's only so much we're allowed to do."

Tara swallowed. She knew that all too well.

"I understand."

Alice handed Tara the file to read and learn and sent her back to set up her desk and computer. Tara logged in and started writing up her impressions on the case. She appreciated being able to jump right in but not being overloaded with work – she would have hated to let something slip through the cracks.

She noted from the medical reports that the girl shared some of the same injuries she herself had sustained, especially the bruising in places that would be hidden by most clothing. She was most disturbed by the persistent evidence of bruising on her thighs, something she'd only experienced when a kick landed the wrong way.

She poured over everything again and again, getting a feel for the language used by all sides and to know the girl as best she could, having never met her. Eventually Alice came to get her and they drove to a suburban street and approached an older looking, slightly crumbling house.

A woman answered the door with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and Alice flashed her identification. The woman rolled her eyes and grudgingly stood back to let them in. A man was standing behind her, looking over her sternly.

"Here to harass me some more?"

"We have some questions," Alice answered in a neutral tone.

He gruffly moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. Alice sat in an armchair opposite and Tara hovered by the door to observe. Alice had a clipboard and pen and started going through standard questions on a form.

After a few minutes, Tara noticed a flash of dark hair was poking out of a doorway up the hall. Tara raised her fingers in a wave and the girl hesitated, then waved back. Tara glanced at the parents whose faces were burrowed as they focused completely on answering Alice's questions with methodological evasion.

She silently pushed herself off the door and walked down to the little girl's bedroom. She was playing with some dolls and looked scared as Tara came in, so Tara hung back and waved again. It pained her to see the girl's swollen lip and the fresh stitches.

"Hi. I'm Tara."

The girl gave Tara the once over and finally answered.

"I'm Jenny."

Tara gestured towards the dolls.

"Can I play with you?"

Jenny seemed both confused and pleased and handed up a dolly for Tara to take. Tara did and came to sit with her, brushing the dolls hair with a mini comb. She didn't make any attempt to push the conversation, and finally Jenny spoke up.

"I don't like it when the people with the clipboards come here."

"How come?" Tara asked, twisting the doll's hair into plaits.

Jenny started brushing her doll's hair much harder.

"He gets mad when they leave."

A lump caught Tara's throat, but she pushed through it.

"Your dad?"

Jenny nodded and Tara inched just a tad closer.

"What happens when he gets mad?"

Jenny's brow furrowed.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it."

"My dad used to get mad too," Tara replied, covertly watching Jenny's face intently, "Does he only get mad when we leave?"

Jenny shook her head.

"When else?" Tara asked.

Jenny's eyes travelled to her bed, then to Tara. They were glassy and Tara saw her fighting between blurting out and shutting down. Jenny looked at her bedroom door, then scooted over to Tara and whispered in her ear.

"During bed games…when I cry. I'm not supposed to cry."

"Does he touch you?" Tara asked, and continued much too fast when she nodded, "Where?"

Jenny retreated again, back to her dolls.

"Mommy says you shouldn't talk about your privates," she answered, giving a cursory but not unnoticed glance to some small, pale marks on her arm that Tara knew all too well were healed cigarettes burns, which weren't mentioned in any of the medical reports.

Tara knew she'd come on too strong and needed to reign in her emotions.

"Are you scared?" she asked softly and timid eyes rose to meet hers, "Is there any time you aren't scared?"

Jenny finally smiled.

"At my nanny and pop-pop's house. They read with me and make me hot chocolate."

Tara smiled back.

"Do they live nearby?"

Jenny thought about it, looking away pensively before looking back at Tara like a normal, happy little girl.

"Two bus rides away."

Tara was contemplating what to ask next, when Alice appeared in the doorway and intently beckoned her over with her eyes. Tara could tell she was in trouble and handed the doll back to Jenny.

"I have to go now."

Jenny looked saddened, but resigned and it broke Tara's heart.

Tara walked over to Alice, who took her arm and spoke in a hushed voice.

"Tara, don't just run off like that."

"I'm sorry, I was speaking to the girl," Tara replied.

"You're lucky the parents didn't see you talking to her alone," Alice said sternly, "I should be supervising your first interviews. I had to say I needed to use the bathroom to come find you."

"I know, I'm really sorry," Tara repeated, voice lowered to a barely audible whisper, "But she told me her father is molesting her."

Alice's face shifted and she brought Tara further down the hall.

"What exactly did she say?"

Tara recounted the whole conversation and Alice's body language completely changed.

"Okay," she replied, matter-of-fact and brought Tara back to the living area, "That will be all for now, Mr. and Mrs. Patella."

Tara's eyes went wide, but she remained quiet until they were back outside.

"What are we doing, we can't leave her."

"We're going to file an emergency petition with the court for removal and see if the grandparents are suitable and willing to take temporary custody," Alice replied, walking briskly back to the car, "Then we'll come back with the authorities."

Tara was stalled on the road and Alice had to come over and drag her to the car.

"Come on Tara, there's no time to waste," she said, then held Tara by the arms seeing the conflict in her eyes, "It's the safest way to do this. Any step wrong and we jeopardise the entire investigation. We need to have a place lined up for her to go. We'll work quickly and we'll get her out of there as soon as possible. Now come on."

Tara got in the car and stared glumly back at the house. They were the last moments of quiet she had for the rest of the day, as she went through the whirlwind process of going to family court, testifying, sitting in with the grandparents during an interview and finally returning to the house with the police to remove Jenny from her parent's custody.

Her cut lip had been reopened in the intervening time and Tara felt completely sick over it. She comforted Jenny through the process, assuring her she was being taken to her grandparents, who were thankfully willing and able to take her.

The parents caused a scene, screaming and shouting, and the father was arrested. Both parents were brought into the police car to go for questioning and Tara tried to shield Jenny as best she could from the whole ordeal by playing music with her in Alice's car.

Finally Alice returned to the car, frazzled. She'd been pushed around a bit but straightened herself up in just a moment. She turned off the music and made sure Jenny had her seatbelt on while they went to drop her off with her grandparents.

Jenny just seemed to think she was going on a little vacation with her nanny and pop-pop, which was the best way she could be thinking at the moment. She hugged Tara when they got there and thanked her for bringing her there. Tara just smiled, unable to speak.

There was lots and lots and _lots_ of paperwork and Tara was amazed at how much work was involved in one case – especially considering she'd eventually have many on her plate all at once. She remembered her templates from the internships but it still took her the whole rest of the day and scoffing her lunch at her desk to get everything in place for another court appearance the next morning.

She appreciated how quickly family court worked, but if she let one thing slip through her fingers it could ruin their entire case. It was a lot of responsibility, but she took it on in the knowledge she had someone looking over her to watch her back.

Finally everything was in order and Tara realised it was past 6pm. She gathered her stuff to leave.

"Great job today, Tara," Alice said, still at her desk and the only other one left in the office, "You were thrown right in at the deep end and you treaded that water. You helped that girl. Keep it up – but don't sneak off again. Stick to the protocols. Be creative where you have to, but stick to the protocols."

Tara nodded repeatedly.

"I will. And I'm sorry, again."

"Make sure to look after yourself," Alice advised kindly, "Take a bath. Pour a drink. Have sex. Do all three. Just make sure you unwind."

Tara blushed.

"Thanks. I will. I mean, um…thanks."

"Next day like this I will bring you out for a large glass of wine," Alice replied with a tired smile, "Today, I need to get home to my new kitten. Now there's a de-stressor. One rub of that little belly and I'm golden. You have someone to go home to?"

Tara smiled and nodded again.

"Probably waiting for me outside actually."

"Have a nice evening," Alice replied easily, "Bye."

Tara lifted her hand in a wave and left, riding the elevator with her earlier fears alleviated but new ones on her shoulders.

Willow was outside, leaning against the wall and Tara hurried over.

"Willow, I'm so sorry. I didn't see the time."

"No big," Willow replied tiredly, though not annoyed, "Didn't want to call and disturb. How'd it go?"

Tara made a non-committal gesture and Willow didn't push. The T ride home was as busy as the morning ride and totally sapped the last bit of energy from Tara. She was slumped walking home and went straight to the couch when they got in.

"I made some–" Willow started to say, but came over to Tara when she saw her hanging her head in her hands, "Hey…you okay?"

Tara's hands slid behind her own neck to massage it.

"Really…intense day."

"Wanna talk about it?" Willow offered, rubbing the small of Tara's back.

Tara opened her mouth and started to retell the whole tale, but only got about halfway through before bursting into tears. She vaguely finished it out that they'd gotten the kid to her grandparents for the moment but was mostly just blubbering, remembering the pain and hurt in Jenny's eyes and how it had mirrored her all those years ago.

Willow just held Tara and let her let it out, but as it went on and on, she really started to worry.

Was Tara going to be able to cope with this day in, day out?

Could she subject herself to this kind of evil without destroying herself?

Would all she worked for be for nothing?

Could it reduce her to nothing?

A long, long time passed until Tara was just sniffling and she finally looked up at Willow, surprising her to be smiling through her glassy eyes.

"I helped her. I really helped her."

All at once Willow's fears were broken and she knew this was it – this was what Tara was put on the earth to do. She pulled Tara into a hug and wiped the last of her tears with her sleeve.

"You did. You should be so proud of that."

Tara dismissed it with a shake of her head.

"It scares me how much people can get away with until we can intervene. Even the medical reports weren't up to snuff. She had healed cigarette burns that weren't noted in any of them. If someone had noticed those, we would have had proof of intent to cause harm."

"You noticed them," Willow pushed, wanting Tara to recognise her very noticeable achievement for her first day, "I wouldn't even know what healed cigarette burns look like."

Tara's brow furrowed slightly, then she angled her back towards Willow and lifted her shirt up. Willow wasn't sure why she was doing it, until she connected what she had said with the markings on Tara's back. She was shocked.

"I thought they were beauty marks," she said, swallowing, then touched each one reverently, "You are beautiful."

Tara smiled, although sadly, at the sentiment and lowered her shirt. She noticed it was dark and was surprised at how long she'd been crying.

"I'm sorry," she said, sniffling once, "Made you wait and cried all over you. I don't even know if I was allowed to tell you all of that. I shouldn't have. I can't do that again."

"My lips are sealed," Willow replied lovingly, "What about everything else? Are the others nice? Do you have a desk?"

"Yeah, and a work email," Tara replied with a lopsided smile, "Everyone is really nice. Alice is my supervisor, she was the one who I shadowed during my internship. They're government offices, so everything is kind of old. The lights kept flickering."

Tara didn't notice the guilty look on Willow's face.

"Well, I'm super proud of you," Willow said, changing the subject, "You must be starving. I made a pasta sauce."

"You did?" Tara asked, impressed, "I'd love some."

Willow jumped up and kissed Tara's cheek.

"You sit, I'll get it all ready."

Tara sat back and settled a cushion in her lap.

"So how was your day?"

Willow had her back turned and scrunched her face as she decided how much to reveal.

"I did the laundry," she said eventually, "Fresh clothes await your donning."

"You did the laundry?" Tara asked, surprised, "…and they all came out okay?"

"Yup!" Willow replied quickly, "No big deal. Now where did I put those bowls?"

She ducked down under guise of a search to avoid any more discussion. She didn't need Tara knowing about her near-catastrophe with the rabid washing machine, especially when she'd figured it out eventually. It was embarrassing.

As for her online dalliances…there was nothing to gain from another conversation there. She knew Tara didn't like it. It would just make her worry.

She found the bowls and hummed while she served up leftover penne with the new sauce she'd made after her afternoon keyboard fun. She felt sophisticated as she cracked some black pepper and grated some parmesan over their dishes.

Tara shook out a napkin in her lap and inhaled the steam.

"Smells great," she said, then had to try really hard not to choke when she took a bite, "Lots of oregano."

"Is it no good?" Willow asked, worried, "It said put five tablespoons in. 5 T-S-P!"

"Oh, honey," Tar replied, gently, putting a hand over Willow's "T-S-P is teaspoons. T-B-S-P is tablespoons."

Willow hung her head.

"Damn it. Spoons are not used as units of measurements in science!"

She slapped her palm against her forehead, but Tara took it and squeezed her hand.

"Easy mistake."

"I wanted to make you dinner after your big first day," Willow muttered, mad at herself for not double checking, especially since she figured a basic pasta sauce would be the simplest thing she could make from scratch.

"Is there more pasta?" Tara asked and Willow nodded.

Tara gestured for Willow to follow her and went over to the pot of sauce. She stirred in another tin of tomatoes, a little cream and some lemon juice. Some dried basil was tapped in on top and Tara made a note in her head to get the fresh stuff in the future.

They stirred it together so it blended nicely and let it simmer, then Tara offered some to Willow on a wooden spoon. Willow tasted it and smiled wryly.

"Delicious. Should have done that tasting thing before I unleashed it on you."

"That's how you learn, and next time you'll know," Tara replied kindly, "Let's eat on the couch and cuddle. It has definitely been a cuddle-worthy day."

Willow leaned her head in against Tara's shoulder, taking a moment with her.

"Every day is a cuddle-worthy day with you."

Tara leaned back, secure knowing she could get through any day with Willow on the other side.

"And every day with you is a joy."


	4. Chapter 4

**FivebyFive89** – Intensity all around…I think I'd choose mundane any day!

 **Guest** – Thanks!

 **jaiden83** – She'll certainly get 'the look' over it (technically she already has…depending on if you've read the future fics or not!)

* * *

Tara took a slow sip of her wine as her toes curled and uncurled under her pantyhose.

She was using her evening to relax with a book and her feet up, and enjoying it immensely after a long day.

They'd had a nice dinner of chicken and rice, which they had cooked together as Willow was still getting the hang of the balance of flavours. She'd lost some confidence after her first attempt at pasta sauce, though subsequent attempts had been perfectly palatable.

They'd retreated to different couches to stretch out and Willow had been playing on her laptop. She'd been developing an ever-drooping frown until she suddenly dropped the lid with less care than she normally afforded to one of her most prized possessions.

Tara was startled for a moment, then looked over. She knew something was up by the look on Willow's face. She dog-eared her book and left it in her lap.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Willow couldn't meet Tara's eyes.

"I can't pay our cell phone bill."

"What are you talking about, I got paid yesterday," Tara replied in confusion, "There's money in my account. Just take my card."

Willow's teeth gritted.

"I mean, _I_ can't pay it."

"Yes you can, because _we_ have enough money," Tara said back insistently.

Willow was still starring at her lap.

"I've always paid it," she said quietly.

"And now we'll pay it together," Tara replied softly, "And you don't have to come to me if you need to pay for something. You don't need my permission."

"Well, yeah, I kinda need you to give me the money," Willow snapped and kicked the leg of the coffee table before muttering, "In return for my dignity."

Tara's eyes creased at Willow's woe.

"Will…"

Willow slid her laptop off her lap and brought her knees up under her chin.

"I'm sorry. I just hate that I can't buy us anything, or even myself a new pair of underwear or…just know I have a few bucks if something pops up. I kept seeing my balance get smaller and smaller and thought by magic it was going to go up again."

Tara nodded sympathetically. She could understand why Willow was finding her newfound financial situation so difficult. From Tara's perspective, she had more money than she'd ever had, but she knew it was hard on Willow with her account practically empty. That had never been her 'normal' and she'd been managing her own finances since she was a preteen.

Tara couldn't fix it all right then, but she did have an idea that would at least be a step towards easing her girlfriend's sour feelings. And until she could organise it, there was always a hug available on demand.

So that's exactly what she went over to give. She embraced Willow and stroked her hair.

"Everything I have is yours. And I would hope the least important thing is my money."

"Of course it is," Willow replied, automatically and genuinely, leaning in to Tara's touch.

She could accept that Tara would share what she had, because Willow would do the same, but she still felt guilty that Tara was paying for absolutely everything. In her mind, it was entirely different than her being the main 'provider' when they were in college, seeing as Tara was paying for such basic necessities like food and shelter.

It made it bearable to know that she herself would be happy to keep Tara in house and home. She would have to push past her insecurities to once again force herself to recognise Tara loved her as much as she loved Tara. She truly hoped one day that would be something she wouldn't have to think about.

"Same for me," Tara replied, tickling the corner of Willow's mouth to produce a smile, "Bottom of the list."

The tickling worked and a smile pulled at Willow's lips.

"What's the top?"

"Oh, definitely your ass," Tara replied with a crooked grin.

Willow let out a deep belly laugh and some tension floated away. Tara smiled and put an arm around Willow.

"Let's watch some TV."

Willow curled her legs off to the side and cuddled into Tara's side.

"I love you."

Tara turned her head in and kissed Willow softly.

"I love you too."

A kiss from Tara was only a band-aid over Willow's torn pride, but a band-aid would at least last for the evening. 

* * *

Tara came through the door from work, cheerily smiling.

"Hello my love."

"Hi," Willow replied, standing up from the couch to welcome Tara with a cheek kiss, "How was your day?"

"Good, good," Tara replied easily, then took out a large brown envelope and small boutique paper bag out from behind her back, "I have two presents for you."

She thrust the bag out first and Willow took it curiously. She peered in and took out a pair of black and red lace panties, hanging on one finger. Her face was perplexed.

"Panties?"

"A new pair of underwear," Tara corrected precisely, "And…"

She handed off the envelope and sat down with Willow. Willow turned over the envelope and lifted the flap, then slid out the papers. It had a bank letterhead.

"What's this?"

"It's an application form for our joint bank account," Tara explained, pointing out where it said so on the front page.

"Our joint bank account?" Willow asked, an eyebrow lifting.

"Yes, because you shouldn't have to come to me every time you need or want something. It's needless and a pain, really," Tara replied with a one shoulder shrug, "I trust you and you trust me, so this is the best solution."

Willow suddenly understood the panties, and had to smile, but it turned self-deprecating quickly.

"If I didn't feel like a mooch before…"

Tara sighed. She would push that attitude out if it was the last thing she did.

"When we get married, would you be against us having this?"

Willow thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"No, I guess not, that's pretty normal."

"Well, we're going to be married someday, so…" Tara reasoned, gently covering Willow's hand and rubbing her thumb against the promise ring, "We're a duckie family aren't we? Quacking along?"

Willow smiled again.

"Yes, we're a duckie family."

Tara wanted to see more of that smile.

"Who'll have some little ducklings someday who will benefit from parents who've learned the finer points of shared living."

Willow chuckled, then puffed out a breath of air.

"Slow down there, I can't have a baby and a quarter life crisis at the same time."

Tara sighed softly and brushed the back of her hands against Willow's cheek.

"I wish you didn't think of it like that. Lots of people take time off to figure themselves out."

Willow nodded; her research on the internet told her she'd done the right thing in not jumping into a career she didn't want, if the amount of blogs by worn-down people on 'sabbaticals' were anything to go by. Her heart also reaffirmed it every time she imagined her life as it would be should she have gone down that route.

"I've just never had nothing to do before. There's always been a book report, or lab write-up or research project to work on."

"But the whole reason you declined grad school was because you didn't want to be ruled by that stuff anymore," Tara replied, letting her hand fall off to Willow's arm.

"I know that," Willow replied, at least happy that she was sure of what she _didn't_ want, "I just want… something."

"Have you looked into volunteering at all?" Tara suggested.

Willow shook her head.

"I don't have any volunteer-able skills. I'm not good with kids or the needy, like you."

"Of course you do," Tara replied emphatically, "What about teaching the elderly how to use a computer?"

Willow turned her head towards Tara.

"I didn't think of that."

Tara rubbed Willow's arm encouragingly.

"I bet there's a senior centre nearby that would be interested."

Willow smiled, pleased to at least have somewhere to jump off from.

"I'll look into it. Thanks."

"Good!" Tara replied, delighted, then tapped a finger against the form, "Are we filling this out?"

Willow stared hard down at the pages, then back up at Tara.

"You really want to?"

"I really do," Tara replied without question.

"As soon as I have an income, it'll be 'ours' too," Willow reassured, though she was the one who needed to hear it more than Tara.

"I know," Tara replied with a smile, "And until then, we will both have access to our money, as it should be. Our relationship, our life, our money."

Willow started to get a little choked up at the gesture.

"This means a lot."

Tara stroked one hand down the back of Willow's hair.

"It's as it should be," she repeated softly.

"I won't abuse it," Willow replied quickly, "Just for groceries and things we need."

"Well, why don't we say we have to discuss purchases of more than a hundred dollars with each other," Tara reasoned, "And it's okay to have some 'wants' too. We're not exactly rich, but the whole point of this is so we both have more freedom. We've worked out our budget for bills and stuff, so we just check in with each other to make sure we don't overspend the rest."

Willow hugged Tara, sidelong.

"I love you so much Tare-bear."

Tara smiled and kissed Willow's temple.

"Now let's hurry up and get this done. I want to see those panties on."

She smirked and let her fingers brush the nape of Willow's neck.

"And then off."

Willow's cheeks flushed and she stuffed the panties into her pocket. They went over to the table with a pen and filled out everything on the form. They each signed it, smiling at each other, then hugged after putting it back in the envelope. Their lips met and they kissed tenderly for several seconds before popping off and nuzzling noses. Willow dropped another kiss onto Tara's lips, then pushed her chair back and stood up.

"Go sit on the couch."

Tara watched Willow run into the bedroom until she was out of sight, then went and sat on the couch as requested. She kicked off her shoes and opened her top button, then settled back and relaxed with her arms behind her head.

It was only a couple of minutes before Willow came back out, nude apart from the new underwear. Tara cast an appreciative and leering eye up and down.

"I have excellent taste."

Willow pulled at the little bow on the front of the underwear.

"In girlfriends or panties?"

Tara cocked her eyebrows enticingly.

"Both."

Willow blushed and smiled at the same time and came over to sit in Tara's lap. Tara settled her hands on Willow's hips and rubbed there.

"Are you going to give me a little lapdance?"

Willow wasn't about to risk Klutzilla making an appearance, so she just swayed her body from side to side, then did a little more insistent grinding and finally pulled Tara's face into her breasts. The top of Tara's hair was slightly mussed as she popped back out, but she was grinning wildly.

"I would pay top dollar for you."

"Hey, maybe there's a career opportunity…" Willow replied, matching her grin.

Tara shook her head and wagged her finger, then slid that finger down Willow's chest.

"This…is just for me."

Willow caught Tara's hand by the wrist, lifted it and took that finger between her teeth. She bit gently and then released.

"What are you going to do with it?"

Tara dipped a finger into the front of Willow's panties and snapped the elastic.

"I'm going to start with this."

She lifted her hands to hold Willow's face and pulled her down to kiss. Their lips brushed gently at first, but as Tara's hands slid down to cup Willow's breasts, her tongue pushed its way past Willow's teeth and into her mouth.

Willow squirmed as Tara's palms brushed her nipples. The room was warm, but she didn't need the cold to help stiffen them; Tara's thumbs were doing the job all on their own.

"Mmm, baby," she moaned against Tara's lips, "As much as you are rocking this power suit…"

She popped open the single button on Tara's jacket and used her hands to slide it off her shoulders. She flicked it down Tara's arm, caressing her along the way. When it was off, she caught each of Tara's wrists, kissed inside where her pulse pounded, then crossed them behind her neck.

She turned her head in and kissed the crook of Tara's elbow. Her lips trailed up Tara's inner arm and along her shoulder blade before finally pressing into the tender skin on her neck.

Her hand moved to Tara's knee and caressed her through the sheer of her pantyhose.

"I love you in these skirts," she whispered into Tara's ear, hand sliding down, "I love that flash of leg…that glimpse of your calf muscle."

Her fingers dragged back up and crept under Tara's skirt.

"I love imagining it riding up…exposing your thighs."

Her hand fell away and she could see the flush rising in Tara's cheeks. She dipped a finger into the hollow of Tara's throat.

"Seeing you in them every day has sure fueled on my librarian fantasy."

Tara was busy being aroused, but had to smile at that.

"Oh yeah?"

Willow nodded.

"I like big…" she started, letting that finger fall into Tara's cleavage before glancing up with mirth in her eyes, "Books. And I cannot lie."

Tara grinned but didn't break the mood by laughing. She undid the rest of the buttons on her blouse with one hand and brushed the fabric either side. Willow kissed Tara's shoulder where her bra strap was, and followed the line down into her breasts.

She pulled the blouse down, trapping Tara's arms so they both felt that moment of rousing resistance. Finally she released the garment and climbed her way down to her knees, kissing Tara's stomach on the way.

She reached under Tara's skirt and pulled her pantyhose down to her knees, carefully not to rip them as she had on an overzealous occasion or two. She then reached back under and hooked her fingers into Tara's panties. She tugged them off, taking the pantyhose the rest of the way with them.

She twirled her finger, motioning for Tara to turn around so she would have access to the zip on the skirt. Tara turned on all fours on the seat and wiggled her butt a little, provocatively.

Willow got up behind her, pressing her hips into Tara's jutting ass. Her nose pushed Tara's blouse upwards as she pressed kisses down Tara's spine, then took the slider of the zipper in her mouth and pulled it down. The skirt fell down to bunch at Tara's knees and Willow continued kissing her newly exposed cheeks, uncovered by Tara's thong.

Tara lifted one knee at a time to kick the skirt away, then swung around and threw one leg over Willow's lap so she was straddling her. Willow's hands curved around Tara's buttocks and she was close to having her tongue hanging out of her mouth as Tara shrugged off her blouse. Tara snapped off her bra, wriggled it in Willow's face and tossed it behind her.

Willow buried her face between Tara's breasts and palmed her thighs, enjoying her girlfriend's fleshiest places under her touch.

Tara guided Willow's mouth to where she wanted them to be – lips clasped around her nipple to pull that surging arousal out from between her legs. She felt Willow's fingers tease her damp lips and it only made her wetter.

Willow twisted her wrist under Tara's panties and teased her opening. She dipped her finger inside and then dragged it out and up to circle Tara's clit. Tara's inner muscles clenched trying to pull Willow inside and a soft groan of frustration passed her lips.

Willow moved one hand to Tara's shoulder to anchor herself while the other angled and entered her fully. Tara let out a keen humming sound and her hands clawed at the back of the couch.

She lifted herself up and took Willow's fingers inside her again, then again, faster. Willow matched her stroke for stroke, pushing hard enough for her wrist to hurt but enjoying the sounds coming from Tara too much to notice.

Tara rolled her hips against Willow's hand with a neat but needy flourish. Her teeth lightly indented her bottom lip as the pleasure swelled in her abdomen, ebbing and flowing, leaving her constantly trying to catch it.

Willow's breath huffed in sync with Tara's flaring nostrils, as she intently watched her facial contortions of pleasure. She felt Tara start to really heat up inside and twisted a well-timed thumb around to put pressure on her clit.

Tara's teeth trembled as she finally coaxed over the edge and her body naturally fell forwards against Willow. She panted into Willow's neck, shivering as Willow pulled out the last spasms from inside her.

Willow slowly slowed her fingers to stillness, resting them there for a few moments. She then used both hands to stroke Tara's spine and turned her head in to kiss Tara's cheek repeatedly.

Tara smiled and nuzzled her nose into Willow's neck.

"That tickles."

Willow lifted a finger to Tara's cheek and turned it inwards to meet her lips. They kissed softly until Tara got a second wind and moved Willow into lying flat on the couch.

Tara kneeled between Willow's legs and pulled her down by her hips. She pressed a finger on Willow's clit through her panties, enticing a soft gasp.

Tara could feel Willow was wet through her panties, so pulled them slowly down her legs and off. Her fingers brushed against Willow's curls, making her thighs twitch. Tara grinned, dragged one finger between Willow's outer lips, then brought it up to her mouth to suck on it.

She could see Willow's body shaking with need, so moved her knees back as far as the couch would allow and bent over the rest of the way to have her tongue land between Willow's legs.

Willow's arms reached behind over the arm of the couch, stretching her body out luxuriously. She arched her hips up to meet Tara's mouth, slowly, enjoying each caress of Tara's tongue.

"Yes, baby…"

She moaned and squirmed through each wave that jolted between her legs and pulsated throughout the rest of her body. When she could feel herself near climax she brought a hand to Tara's head and held her there throughout the orgasm.

Her toes curled into the couch and she let out one long, strained breath before finally collapsing back.

Tara waited for Willow's legs to flop down before wiping her mouth on Willow's thigh. She then climbed above her, hovering on her arms with their hips pressed together.

Willow caught Tara by the back of the neck and pulled her down to smooch. Tara rested her upper body on Willow's and returned the kiss.

Tara trailed kisses along Willow's jaw, then rested her cheek against Willow's shoulder.

"Mmm, now that is what I like to come home to."

Willow drew a circle on Tara's ass.

"See, I have some use."

Tara's head lifted and she looked at Willow sternly.

"Don't say that."

Willow threw up a hand defensively.

"I'm just joking."

"Except you're kinda not," Tara replied, taking a breath to keep herself from getting riled up, "Do you respect my opinion?"

"More than anyone," Willow answered honestly.

Tara tenderly brushed some hair from Willow's brow.

"Then why don't you believe me when I say you're wonderful?"

Willow swallowed and averted her eyes. Tara kissed Willow's cheek affectionately.

"I get it," she said softly, "For a long time, achievements were your only praise. But you have to get over that mindset. You have to understand that you matter more than your achievements. You have to get that I want to be with you for you."

Willow's eyes flicked towards Tara's, who held her gaze.

"Would you consider seeing a therapist?"

Willow shook her head.

"And not because I'm too proud. But it would just remind me too much of my mother…who is the main source of my issues. She's the reason I got into psychology…and the reason I'm now running as far away as possible from it."

Tara linked one set of fingers and squeezed their palms together.

"The bravest thing you ever did was decide to live your life for yourself and not to follow blindly something you didn't love. I'm so proud that you did that; please don't belittle that bravery because you're in a bit of a lull. Who cares if you do nothing?"

"Me," Willow replied, almost inaudibly.

Tara understood, and wished she could do more to help.

"What about the computer stuff we talked about earlier?"

Willow ran her thumb over Tara's knuckles, helping her to relax.

"Yeah, as a volunteer maybe. No one is going to hire me without the relevant degree, even if I could out-hack them all three times over," she replied before adding on sheepishly, "I already checked. People with masters and PhDs are fighting for entry level jobs."

"So maybe eventually you try out some less skilled jobs for a while. Play the field a little, see what suits and what doesn't," Tara replied easily, hoping if she showed Willow she wasn't worried about her, she might not worry so much herself, "But take your time. That's a life skill all in itself and one you could do with learning."

Willow had to smile; that part was true and there were areas of herself she could benefit from some introspection on. Particularly surrounding her self-esteem and worth within their relationship.

She wouldn't be running to a therapist, but there were other things she could do. She could better herself physically and emotionally, and she could bulk out the non-working related aspects of her résumé, so then maybe, when she felt ready, she could try some low-skill jobs and get a feel for where she was suited in the labour force.

It was all things Tara had said before, but she finally listened. Tara was right, she couldn't say she valued her opinion if she never took it on board and the truth was Tara was absolutely the person the trusted most, especially when it came to her, and their, happiness. She leaned in and rested her forehead against Tara's.

"Thank you for putting up with me."

Tara kissed Willow gently.

"Go easy on my girlfriend. She deserves some kindness," she said, brushing their noses together, then inhaling softly and sliding a hand along her own stomach, "I think we could stretch to some Chinese food. You in?"

Willow lifted her eyebrows.

"Does that mean you'll stretch out and I'll eat Chinese food off you?"

"If you're lucky," Tara replied with a crooked smirk.

Willow leaned up and pecked Tara's lips.

"I'm the luckiest," she said, kissing Tara once more before resting her head back on the arm of the couch.

Her laptop was sitting on the floor, just out of arm's reach, but she was able to get it with a slight stretch. She rested it on her stomach, and a little on Tara's hip since she was lying alongside her.

She did a quick search and pulled up a website for Tara to see.

"This is the other Chinese place in the area we haven't tried yet. Want to try it out?"

The pictures of dishes on the website looked nice, so Tara nodded.

"What do you want?" Willow asked, clicking on the menu.

"What are the chef's specials?" Tara asked, casting her eye over the page.

Willow scrolled down to the right section.

"Sesame chicken and Peking duck. I love those little pancake-y things."

"Let's get both with some veggie lo mein," Tara suggested, feeling her stomach warm up at the thoughts of food.

"I want egg rolls," Willow added on.

Tara agreed with a nod.

"And get some spicy green beans."

Willow's nose scrunched.

"There's veggies in the noodles!"

"You don't have to eat the green beans," Tara placated with a slight roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, you say that now but I'll still get 'the look'," Willow muttered in response, "Hey, I can order online here too. I love the future."

She went through the process and submitted their order, then returned her laptop to the floor as it was starting to burn her stomach.

"30 minutes," she announced, then turned her attention back to Tara with a smile, "Thank you for the gentle-yet-persuasive kick up the ass. My head feels clearer than it has in a while."

Tara smiled back, warmly.

"I'm so glad."

"And you're right; 'you're only as good as your achievements' is destructive thinking," Willow replied with a definitive nod, "I'll try to pull myself up on that. But I don't want to slouch around either. I want to contribute to the household. And I think I have a plan for that. Work on Willow a bit and then work on work!"

"As long as you're happy," Tara said, tapping Willow's heart gently.

Willow covered Tara's hand on her chest and gave it a squeeze.

"It's pretty amazing to have someone care so much about that."

"Well to quote my very favourite person," Tara replied with her lips quirked up on one side, "I love you, doofus."

Willow scooched her butt down a little so her face was in line with Tara's. She cupped Tara's cheek, brushed away the hair at the tops of her fingers and moved her lips in to plant them on Tara's.

The minutes passed quickly and they were in much the same position when the buzzer for the intercom sounded. Willow's lips popped off of Tara's and glanced at the offending sound.

"Shit!"

She jumped up and ran over to the intercom.

"Be right down!"

She flew into the bedroom and was out again in mere seconds with a hoody on and zipping up her pants. She bolted out the door, but almost immediately came back again.

"I don't have any cash!"

Tara pointed to her purse sitting on the table and Willow rooted through to find her wallet and take out what she needed. She pounded down the stairs, paid and collected the food, then back up them, wheezing slightly as she got to the top.

 _I need to get in shape!_

She came back into the apartment and Tara was just coming out of the kitchen with two soda cans, two glasses of ice and wearing a tank top and teeny tiny shorts. Willow gulped.

"Food…I have."

Tara was about to respond, when the room was suddenly plunged into darkness.

"Uh oh," Willow's voice spoke out.

Tara manouvered her way around the furniture to peek out the fire escape.

"The whole street is out."

Willow found the table and left the bag of take-out on it, then got her phone from her pocket and used it as a partial source of light. Tara took it and rooted out some matches and tealights. She placed several around their living space and lit them all, resulting in some low mood-lighting – plenty to see each other, especially when they sat close on the floor on some cushions.

They didn't bother with plates and just used the chopsticks that came with the food to eat out of the boxes.

"Try this," Willow said, holding a piece of sesame chicken between her chopsticks and up to Tara's mouth.

Tara closed her lips around it and savoured the soft burst of flavour and texture.

"That is yummy."

"Yes you are," Willow replied, watching Tara's lips move, before producing a hidden blush in the dark, "I mean, yes it is."

Tara was able to coerce Willow into eating a couple of green beans by feeding them to her, though they were washed down with a quick swig of soda.

"That is love," Willow said with a smile, "I won't eat a green bean for just anyone."

"Well now you're one-up in the quid pro quo stakes," Tara replied with a twinkle in her eye, visible even in the dark, "How are you going to collect?"

Willow eyed Tara's cleavage. A black-out wasn't about to dampen her spirits.

"Oh…I have a few ideas…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Guest** – Glad you enjoyed it :)

 **Guest** – No problem, I'm super happy you liked it :)

* * *

"Willow…Willow dear!"

Willow walked across the small classroom to a little old lady sitting at one of the few computer desks. She was stout and frumpy, but had kind eyes with a twinkle behind them and wrinkles around them.

"Now I've typed the words I want to find like you showed me, but how do I make it 'go'?" she asked, taking her lesson on all things internet very seriously.

"Oh, that's easy, Mabel," Willow replied, showing her the enter key, "You just press this long one with the arrow and…there you go! All the results come up."

Mabel brought an arthritic hand up to pat Willow's arm.

"Thank you dear. You're a real mensch."

Willow waved it off with a bashful smile.

"Look, there's a bunch of options for that recipe you're looking for. This one is kosher. Want me to show you how to print?"

Willow had taken Tara's advice to put her computer skills to good use and volunteer with the elderly. She'd done some research online of ones close by so she would be able to walk, and found a Hebrew senior centre in the neighbourhood.

Thinking her Jewishness might give her an 'in', she'd exchanged a few emails with the centre manager and said she was interested in volunteering and relayed her skills. It had worked and she had been invited down to run a small computer class on a Friday afternoon to see if she fit in.

Surprisingly, she hadn't been all that nervous as the residents took to her straight away and were interested in what she had to say. She'd given a very basic lesson in email but it had been received well and the residents were pleased to have the opportunity to learn.

After the first one had gone successfully, she offered to make it a regular thing and her help in other areas. They'd taken her up on it and she now had a daily run of meals on wheels lunch time deliveries around the neighbourhood too – they'd even provided her with the bike and wagon to get around on.

It gave some structure to her day and let her have her 'Willow time' guilt free; she loved having down time to read, be on the internet, listen to music as well as getting things like laundry done and making some semblance of a tasty dinner for Tara. She felt better about herself from helping people and despite all her protests about school, she had to admit liking having an assignment of sorts in preparing her 'lesson plan'.

The clientele who frequented the centre were a nice mix of people, some quiet and some louder, like Mabel. Mabel with her loudness, talkativeness and overbearingness was almost a caricature of an older Jewish mother or grandmother, but Willow enjoyed her – she reminded her of a Bostonian version of her Bubbe.

Willow's fondness did retreat on occasion, as Mabel had taken a shine to her and was making gallant efforts to talk her around to dating her grandson. Willow, being the right age, a volunteer and most importantly, Jewish, was apparently absolutely perfect for him.

"Have I told you about my grandson?" Mabel asked Willow in a clucky mothering voice, "He's not a schmuck like some men you see around these days, and he has a very cute tuchis!"

"I'm, um, in a relationship," Willow repeated for the nth time.

"Oy vey iz mir," Mabel muttered under her breath, "All the good ones are taken. Are you sure?"

Willow just smiled awkwardly, nodded, clicked the print button as fast as she could and hurried off to help someone she'd 'heard' call her. A shyer man did catch her eye as she passed, and she was able to show him how to open picture attachments from his first new email of his grandchildren.

He covered her hand warmly when the pictures came up on screen and gave it a squeeze. He wasn't frail, but his demeanour was very delicate and even in the rare times he spoke, it was very soft.

Willow could see the gratitude in his eyes and smiled back. Those were the moments she loved, when she felt like she was making a difference. She knew what it was like to be ignored, and a lot of the people attending that centre were getting to the stage where they were starting to be ignored by their families and society.

Willow felt bittersweet about not having to worry about doing that to her own parents. She felt a pang when she wondered if she'd even be told when they died, but she had to put that out of her mind. She could help these people in the here and now and that would have to be enough.

The centre only had four computers, so she had enough time to give to every person who came in some attention, and there were different faces each week. Some needed to be shown the same thing each and every lesson, but Willow surprised herself with not getting frustrated.

Even the age-old, super slow computers didn't bother her; she just fell into the sedate pace of the centre. It actually gave her an excuse to shut her mind off for a little while.

Finally the last person shuffled off to their next activity and Willow shut down all the computers, tidied up the area and got her jacket on to leave. She passed by the lobby to sign out of the volunteer's book and as she set the pen back down, the centre manager rounded the corner from his office.

He was tall, very tall, about 30 and very sedate in his manner, like everything else in that place. He was quiet, calm, pleasant and easy-going. His eyes were the same colour as Tara's, which had endeared him to Willow and she always had a smile for him when they passed each other.

He approached, returning the smile, and leaned gently against the empty reception desk.

"Hey, Willow. I was coming to see how you got on."

Willow nodded jovially.

"Hi David. It went well. Did you know Mr. Blumenthal was a poet? I showed him how to write on Word, he had lots of fun working out the fonts and stuff."

"Ezra is our resident story-teller, so that doesn't surprise me," David replied with a kind smile, then straightened himself up and ran two fingers down the length of his tie, "So, weekend finally. Have you any plans tonight?"

"Oh yeah, I'm going to a friend's for dinner," Willow replied, hands closing around the list in her pocket with the things she needed to get for the salad they'd said they'd bring to Jack and Becky's.

David slicked back his messy brown hair, but it fell back into his eyes almost straight away.

"Maybe some other time when you're not so busy, I could take you out," he said, before finishing with a hopeful and slightly needy smile, "On a date. There's, ah, nothing in the rulebook to say we can't."

Willow's eyes widened and her voice stalled for a moment.

"…you're not Mabel's grandson, are you?"

David laughed.

"No, no. Not at all."

Willow's cheeks burned and she struggled to keep David's gaze.

"I'm really sorry, I'm seeing someone."

David just nodded, accepting it.

"Well we sure do appreciate your help. The elderly are the most forgotten about when it comes to those volunteering. People don't have the patience."

"Well, my girlfriend suggested it, so you can thank her," Willow replied automatically.

David smiled and threw his eyes up to heaven.

"Ah, okay, so I never had a chance."

"Sorry," Willow replied sheepishly.

"No problem, just don't go spreading my embarrassment around. These guys love gossiping," David replied good-naturedly, then lifted his hand in a wave, "See you around."

"Bye," Willow replied, returning the wave.

She stood there awkwardly for a moment, then when she realised he'd taken her brush-off without incident, she carried on and went home via the grocery store.

Tara had already done the 'hardest' part of the salad, made up a dressing, so Willow just chopped up the lettuce, tomato, cucumber and red onion, shredded some carrot and then crumbled some feta cheese on top. It was Tara's favourite salad and the one dish Willow had absolutely perfected because of its ease.

She covered it and left it in the fridge, then went off to shower and change. She was in a dress and was running a brush through her blow-dried hair when she heard the wiggle of the key and then the front door opening.

"Honey, I'm home."

Willow smiled; she knew Tara said that just because it amused her. She came out of the bedroom with a big smile on her face.

"Baby, you're the greatest," she quoted in return.

Tara dropped her purse on the table and came over to give Willow a hug.

"Hello, you," she said, pecking Willow's cheek, "I bought wine."

"Oh, I got beer," Willow replied, pointing her thumb in the direction of the fridge.

"We'll bring both," Tara reasoned, holding Willow gently by the arms, "You look just lovely. I'll go get changed."

She wandered into the bedroom and Willow followed, sitting with her feet up on the bed to chat.

"How was work?"

"Good," Tara answered, going over to the closet to decide what to wear, "We found two residential kids a foster home. The system is so overloaded, it's ridiculous."

She sighed and held a red dress against her body to see in the mirror.

"How was your day?"

Willow shrugged one shoulder.

"I got asked out today."

"By whom?" Tara asked without turning around.

"The senior centre manager," Willow answered.

Tara quirked an eyebrow through the mirror.

"He asked out a volunteer?"

Willow shrugged again.

"He said it's not against the rules."

"How enticing," Tara replied dryly, "What did you say?"

"I said I was seeing someone," Willow replied, offering her arms for Tara to drape her dress across.

Tara smirked, her eyes lifting on the same side her lips did.

"Oh, is that what we're doing? 'Seeing' each other?"

Willow grinned back.

"Well…I saw you this morning, and I see you right now and I'll see even more of you in a few seconds, so yeah!" she said with a giggle, "It was actually my second proposition of the day. That darn Mabel is determined to set me up with her grandson."

Tara leaned over and pressed a smouldering and somewhat possessive kiss on Willow's lips.

"You're just hot stuff."

She nipped at Willow's bottom lip, then proceeded to strip down to her underwear. Willow stood up when Tara slipped the dress over her head and helped her zip it up. Her fingertips brushed against the nape of Tara's neck, then she scooped her hair to one side and kissed the patch of skin where Tara's neck met her shoulder.

"It's flattering…" she said, sliding her other hand up Tara's thigh and bunching her dress up past her stomach, "But I only want to be hot for you."

Willow's fingers fluttered past the front of Tara's panties, making Tara's heart catch in her throat for a moment. Willow's hand fell away and Tara spent a minute composing herself until Willow returned and closed Tara's locket around her neck.

"You look beautiful," Willow said with a smile, then fixed the neck of Tara's dress so more cleavage was on show, "Make that yummy. Both. You're simply irresistible."

Tara smiled to herself. She could see Willow had gotten a little ego boost and was projecting it back. She didn't mind; she enjoyed being 'flattered' too. It wasn't an everyday occurrence, but she'd gotten a glance or two and a dance request or three in Paris. She'd always politely declined but it had boosted her confidence and contributed to the boldness that had emerged when they'd engaged in the hot cloakroom sex in the club.

She could see that same glint in Willow's eye as that night and knew she was probably in for an evening of teasing.

"Down, girl," she said, scooting some hair behind Willow's ear, "We have a dinner to get through."

Willow leaned in to whisper in Tara's ear.

"I'd love to get through your pussy. Actually I'd love to just stay in there."

Tara cleared her throat and she very gently pushed Willow away.

"You're being very naughty," she said in a mock-scolding tone, then grinned, "I'll have to spank you later."

"Do you promise?" Willow asked, eyes lighting up.

Tara pointed out the door towards the kitchen.

"Go drink a tall glass of water."

"I have a tall glass of water right here," Willow replied, eyeing Tara up and down before dropping to her knees, "And I'd be happy to drink you."

Her hands slid under Tara's dress to the back of her thighs. Tara felt her knees shake and reached out a hand to Willow's shoulder to steady herself. It was hard to resist Willow at the best of times, but having her on her knees was a huge temptation.

"I have to finish getting ready…please don't do this to me, you know I can't resist you."

Willow nuzzled her nose in against Tara's panties for several long seconds, then extradited herself and stood back up. She pressed a soft and very promising kiss against Tara's lips.

Tara almost melted on the spot and her mouth physically followed Willow when she pulled away. Willow put a finger against Tara's lips, shook her head, then sauntered off with a confident butt wiggle.

Tara watched her, as was intended, then went into the bathroom to cool off a little and put some make-up on.

When she came out, Willow was sitting on the sofa, flicking through a magazine. Willow looked up, less seductively but still with that look in her eye.

"Ready to go?" she asked, standing up and hooking her arm through the bag she'd put the salad, dressing and beers in, "I have everything but wine."

"I have the wine," Tara said, picking up her purse, "Are you going to be good?"

"Aren't I always?" Willow asked with a dazzling smile.

"Dangerous, more like," Tara muttered, then got her own back by pinching Willow's ass as she passed.

Willow jumped, eyes going wide, then smirked.

 _Game on._

They held hands as they walked to the T stop and it was just enough past rush hour for them to get seats. Willow rested the bag on her lap and held it firmly so it wouldn't fall. The train jerked into motion and Willow turned to get Tara's attention.

"I meant to talk to you about our phone contract. It's up at the end of the month."

"Can you renew it?" Tara asked, having to delegate anything like that to Willow's expertise.

Willow nodded.

"Yeah, just wanted to check with you that that's okay. Cost and stuff."

Tara pressed a sweet kiss to Willow's cheek.

"You have my implicit trust in all things technical. And in general."

"I can probably get us new phones," Willow said, already having her eye on the new iPhone, a considerable upgrade from her non-smart phone for a geek like her, though she wasn't sure she'd be able to snag one as a freebie on their contract and they didn't have any spare cash for things like that.

"Please don't," Tara replied, shaking her head, "I just got used to this one and it works perfectly."

"Only because you never use it," Willow replied with a grin.

Tara nodded.

"Exactly, so why get me a new one?"

"Okay, if that's what you want…" Willow replied, all the while sneaking her hand from behind the bag on her lap onto Tara's thigh.

Tara tugged the end of her dress down to dissuade her, but Willow's fingers continued to creep up the fabric.

"Willow!" Tara hissed quietly, physically taking Willow's hand away.

"You started it," Willow retorted quietly.

Tara pursed her lips, but that didn't deter Willow, in fact Tara's pouting, ruby-red lips just turned her on even more. She kept her hands still, but did sneak a few peeks down the front of Tara's dress, which didn't go unnoticed.

At one stage Tara reached up and covered Willow's eyes with her hand, but Willow just responded by nibbling the tip of Tara's fallen pinky. When they got to their stop and walked back onto the street, it had gotten dark, so Tara continued the little game by hooking her arm around Willow's waist and rubbing her hip, exactly on her panty line.

Willow closed her eyes momentarily and imagined Tara ripping those panties off. In those few seconds, she wandered a bit too close to the road and was beeped back onto the sidewalk.

Tara's hand immediately retracted and went around her shoulders protectively. Willow had to smile and leaned her head down against Tara's shoulder.

Becky and Jack's apartment was just three blocks from the T stop, in a large, very corporate high-rise. They'd been there a few times, but Willow always mixed up which number they were in. Luckily Tara had a memory like an elephant and was able to guide them up to the seventh floor and to the right door.

They knocked and moments later, Becky answered the door in a summery dress and with a smile on her face.

"Hi lovebirds."

"We have beer," Willow replied, holding the bag up to indicate.

"And wine," Tara added, producing the bottle from her purse.

Becky threw an arm around each of their shoulders and kicked the door closed behind them.

"I knew you guys were my besties for a reason."

"Hi ladies," Jack greeted warmly from the kitchen area of the open plan living space, "I hope you brought your appetites. Willow, you eat pork right?"

Willow nodded.

"Oh yeah, I'm not kosher."

"I told him I've seen you annihilate a plate of bacon," Becky said with a grin, nudging Willow in the side and making her blush.

Jack turned some meat on the gridiron and steam blew upwards.

"I'm serving dwaejibulgogi."

"Bless you," Willow replied, trying to wrap her brain around the word.

Jack laughed cheerfully.

"I know, it's a mouthful. We're having poutine on the side."

"I don't think I've ever eaten of those," Tara said, softly inhaling the spicy meat fumes as they danced her ways, "Looking forward to it."

"My mom is Korean and my dad is Canadian, so I like to mix and match my roots," Jack replied with a demure smile, "Some Asian Fusion. It's good, you'll like it. Like Korean barbeque and dressed fries."

"Jack is a fantastic cook," Becky gushed, taking the bottles from Willow and Tara and bringing them into the kitchen, "Wine or beer?"

Willow nodded towards the six pack.

"I'll have beer, thanks."

Jack took the bottle off of Becky to read the label.

"That's a nice bottle, Tara, thank you," he said warmly, "I'm going to have a glass right now."

"Oh, well I'll join you if you're opening it," Tara replied, taking a glass moments later when Jack pulled the cork, "Thank you."

They clinked their glasses together while Becky popped the caps the beer for her and Willow.

"Serving up in five," Jack advised, taking a slow but long gulp from his glass before getting right in to the burner to finish everything off.

Becky indicated for them to sit around the table, which was decorated simply but beautifully with clean silverware, napkin rings and long candles.

"Nice job on the table," Willow complimented as she took her seat.

"All Jack as well," Becky said with a loving look over her shoulder, "He really is amazing."

Though there was no official announcement of it, Tara's prediction that Becky was essentially moving in with no intention of finding her own place was evidently becoming true. The place had obvious decoration input from them both and not a word had been said about house hunting in the months since graduating.

Willow had only realised when Tara pointed it out to her later, but it was quite obvious then and she was happy to see her friend settling into post-college life well, too.

Jack served them each up a plate with grilled pork decorated with sliced onions, button mushrooms and chopped green peppers with the poutine – French fries, topped with a brown gravy and cheese curds – in a decorative basket on the plate alongside it.

Willow was slightly put off by the cheese curds, but kept her mouth shut when Tara looked at her sideways. Tara sliced some of the pork and her knife just glided through it. She put some in her mouth with some vegetables and it just melted, contrasting beautifully with the crunch of the bell pepper.

"This meat is so tender, Jack," she said when she swallowed, "Thank you for having us."

The two wine glasses and two beer bottles all clinked together again and everyone complimented Jack on the delicious food.

"How is work going, Tara?" Jack inquired across the table.

"Good," Tara replied pleasantly, "It's tough, but we help a lot of people and it outweighs the bad. What about you, last time we spoke you were just starting at your dad's accounting firm."

"Yes, nepotism is alive and well," Jack said with a laugh, "But he doesn't go easy on me. I like that though, the others in the office don't treat me like the boss's son either. It doesn't make a fire in my belly but it's not a bad job, really. And it gives me evenings and weekends."

"What about you, Beck?" Willow asked, "When does the teacher interviewing season start?"

"I've already sent résumés out and gotten a few call-backs," Becky replied, picking up a fry in her hand to eat it, "There's so many new graduates in the same position, but I'm hoping to get a middle school gig. Catch the kids between young brats and moody brats. Also, whose foot is that?"

Willow straightened up in her chair and cleared her throat and Tara shook her head in Willow's direction. Becky grinned but off a relenting look from Jack, didn't enflame Willow's cheeks any more.

"And you, Willow?" Jack asked, courteously changing the subject, "Are you pursuing grad school?"

Willow's eyes were on her plate and she shook her head. She'd been keeping quiet about that whole subject.

"No, actually."

"No?" Becky asked, surprised, "Since when? You haven't gotten a psych gig already have you?"

"No, I'm…checking out other avenues," Willow replied cagily, then quickly ate some of the poutine, "Hey, the cheese curds kinda threw me off, but this is delicious."

"I'll give you the recipe," Jack offered graciously.

"Better give it to Tara," Willow replied sheepishly, "Still working on the ole' culinary skills. I did make the salad though."

"And it's lovely," Tara complimented, discreetly taking Willow's hand under the table and giving it a squeeze.

Willow shot her a grateful look and squeezed back. The topic changed to a concert Jack and Becky had recently attended, then to Jack's newly born nephew and back to music and cooking.

"I made dessert," Becky announced as she stood up and took Jack's plate on top of her own.

"You did?" Willow asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, I bought it," Becky admitted with a grin, "Help me serve?"

Willow nodded and followed Becky into the kitchen with hers and Tara's plate. She rinsed them in the sink while Becky retrieved a chocolate cake from the fridge.

"So no grad school, huh?" Becky asked as she peeled away the packaging, "You always talked about needing to do a master's program at least to work in the field."

Willow shrugged a shoulder.

"I'm just working things out. It's not worth the debt, really."

"So what are you going to do?" Becky questioned, bringing down four small plates.

"I fill the time," Willow answered, handing Becky a knife when she pointed to the block beside her, "I've been volunteering. Do meals on wheels for a senior centre."

Becky snorted.

"They let you behind the wheel?"

"I aced Driver's Ed I'll have you know," Willow replied indignantly, "But I use a bike and wagon. It's only around the neighbourhood, but damn, I'm so out of shape. I was thinking of trying to get fit while I have this time figuring out career stuff."

Becky cut the first slice in a perfectly decadent prism.

"Join my gym. It's got good facilities."

Willow watched the gooey fudge topping pull away from the cake and her mouth began to water. It took her a second to register Becky had spoken.

"Oh, well…you know, with just Tara's income we don't have much money for things like that."

"I can get you a guest pass," Becky offered.

"You can?" Willow asked, intrigued.

"Sure," Becky nodded, "Just don't kill yourself."

Willow rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Beck. I appreciate that," she said sarcastically, "So…seems like you're pretty comfortable here."

Becky put her hands on her hips.

"Can you believe we're graduated and living with our partners who have real, live jobs?" she asked, shuddering a tad, "It's scary."

"It's fun," Willow amended with a smile, "I love having a real home with her."

Becky glanced over to the TV area where Jack was setting up the DVD player, while Tara sat on the couch beside.

"I know the feeling," she said tenderly, then sighed and retrieved some dessert forks, "You squirt."

Willow's eyes almost bugged out of her head.

"What?!"

Becky paused for a moment to understand why Willow was looking at her like that, then physically hunched over with laughter.

"Oh man…oh man," she said, rubbing her chest to catch her breath, "The cream, Willow. The cream. Squirt the cream."

Willow spotted the bottle of whipped cream sitting alongside the cake and her cheeks flushed wildly. She grabbed it and squirted some onto the side of each plate before shoving it back in the fridge. Becky was still grinning from ear to ear as she picked up two of the plates.

"C'mon, Jack has been dying to show off his new short. It's about a lactose intolerant guy who inherits a dairy farm," she said, then continued off Willow's quizzical look, "He's branching out into comedy."

Willow took the other plates and brought them over to sit by Tara.

"Here you go, baby," she said, offering one of the plates.

Tara took it and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you."

Willow smiled back and got comfy as Jack lined up his new short to play for them. She avoiding Becky's mirthful grin, but her own lips did quirk at the thought of their exchange. Not least of all because it put some enjoyable images of Tara in her mind, but also because she appreciated the camaraderie.

She hoped her cheeks didn't give her away to Tara, because she knew Becky would jump on the teasing if it was brought up.

Evenings like this reminded her that there was so much more to life than career paths, schooling or vocational callings.

Friends, family and chocolate cake ranked much higher on the list.


	6. Chapter 6

**billy** – Glad you're enjoying it :)

 **jaiden83** – Anytime you get dinner served up to you is a good time, I think! :)

 **mini –** Those three are the key to happiness!

* * *

Willow stood at the top end of the gym, taking in all of the various machinery at her disposal.

She'd gone home after delivering her meals on wheels to change into a t-shirt and sweats, then walked the 10 blocks or so to the gym as a warm-up of sorts. She knew nothing of stretching or the technique involved, so headed straight for the elliptical trainer. It was the only machine she recognised apart from the treadmill and bike, and she'd done enough of the outside version of the both of those for one day.

She stepped onto the pedals and poked at the display until everything was set to zero. She closed her fists around the handles and pushed forwards with her feet until she was doing the right climbing motion.

She got into it and pumped her legs hard for a solid two minutes, before her heart really started to hammer from the unexpected cardio workout. It got uncomfortable quickly and she had to slink off in embarrassment to down the contents of her water bottle and refill it at the fountain.

She stood around for a minute and decided to go over to the weights instead and to build up her cardio another time. She picked up some one pound dumbbells and did a few experimental squats and bicep curls. When that didn't go disastrously, she sat into the leg press and tried to straighten out her legs to lift the weights.

She hadn't checked what weight they were slotted in at, however, and they slammed back down the moment she tried to lift them. A few ripped men glanced at her in annoyance, and a young woman in full spandex get-up stopped from where she was walking across the and came over to Willow.

Willow fought to try and pretend she didn't see her very apparent breasts.

"Have you been trained in weight-lifting?" the woman asked bluntly, continuing to motion a gentle jog on the spot.

"Um, no," Willow replied, bending her legs back so there was no risk of more mishap.

The woman gestured around.

"How about any of these machines?"

Willow shook her head.

"No."

The woman sighed.

"Have you ever been to a gym before?" she asked, and got an answer in the form of Willow's red cheeks, "A class might be better as a starting point. Aerobics and step are popular. I'm about to go teach a step class, do you want to join?"

She was impatient, but not unkind, so Willow decided there was little she could mess up just by stepping.

"Yeah, okay," she said, stepping out of the machine, "Thanks."

She followed the woman upstairs to a machine-free room with lots of mirrors and other women setting up the individual platforms. The instructor set the boom box she was carrying down, pressed play so that loud, energetic music began to play and wasted no time bringing her own platform to the front.

"Come on ladies, let's do this!"

The class started as it meant to go on; vigorous, intense and rhythmic. Willow didn't have that last one, nor the coordination required to learn it, but her brain was so wired to learn patterns from her hacking skills, that she could follow every second step in time without getting flustered.

She was starting to sweat, but she could just about breathe and there was a pleasure in watching the bouncing bosom of their enthusiastic leader. Her eyes closed and she imagined Tara's breasts heaving in her face for a moment, providing for a deeply pounding heart that she had to put out of her mind to keep up with the steps.

She kept her eyes down for the rest of the, thankfully only half-hour, class and backed into a corner to sit and catch her breath when she was finished. The instructor came over to her and advised her to get someone to show her how to use the machines before trying them again, which Willow acknowledged with a forced smile before rolling out when the next class started to mill in.

Willow decided she'd done her lot for the day and filled her water bottle up once more for the walk home.

By the time she got there, she was practically crawling and actually sat for a few minutes on the second flight of stairs to get enough energy to go the rest of the way. She finally arrived at the door, and realised to her horror that while her phone and wallet were in her small shoulder bag, her keys were nowhere to be found.

She cast her mind back and had visions of her taking them from the bowl on the breakfast bar, leaving them on the table to run to the bathroom, then just grabbing the bag and running out.

She banged her fist against the door.

"Damn it!"

Moments later, the door opposite opened and their creepy neighbour popped his slimy head out.

"Problem?" he asked, and Willow was able to hear the hocking in his throat as he spoke.

"No, no," Willow said, avoiding his greasy gaze, "Not a problem. Nothing. Nope. Fine. Finey McFine. Thank you."

He eyed her up for a moment, snarl-grinned, then closed his door again.

Willow quickly whipped out her phone and dialled Tara.

* * *

Tara waited at the small circular table of the wine bar she was in while Alice was ordering their glasses. A waitress was walking around collecting classes and Tara couldn't help but notice she had a very shapely butt. She gave it a quick glance, and in that time Alice returned with two glasses of red and apparently noticed.

"Forever 21."

Tara had to snap her attention away quickly and closed her hand around the stem of the wine glass, tipping it gratefully.

"I'm sorry?"

"The jeans," Alice explained, sitting up on the bar stool, "They're Forever 21. I have a pair too. Good price, if you're looking."

Tara sincerely hoped her cheeks weren't the colour she felt they were.

"Oh, right. Yes, the jeans. Thank you."

Alice just smiled cordially and Tara thought she was off the hook. She took a very long sip and cleared her throat as she left the glass on the table again.

They discussed the case they had been working together that day until half-way through their glasses, then Alice threw a hand up to stop herself mid-sentence.

"Look at us, the pair of workaholics. Enough shop talk," she said, readjusting herself in her seat to move towards recreational conversation "So, tell me about you. I know you're a great worker, what else are you?"

Tara looked down shyly.

"I'm nothing too exciting. I like to cook and read on the weekends and I'm getting a little bit too addicted to certain cop shows. And you?"

"I like nice food, spa days and my kitten," Alice answered pleasantly, "With the occasional man thrown in."

"Do you have a partner?" Tara enquired.

Alice shook her head.

"No, I broke up with my last boyfriend last year, and I vowed I wouldn't enter a relationship again until I could keep an animal alive for six months," she answered, then gestured with her hand, "Hence the cat. What about you?"

"I live with my partner Will–" Tara began to answer, then was cut off as her phone began to buzz beside her, "Oh. Speak of the devil."

She mouthed an apology and turned her head to the side as she answered.

"Hi Will."

She listened for a moment as Willow spoke.

"Where did you leave them?" she asked, then sighed when she got the answer, "Oh, for god's sake."

She brought a hand up to her temple and rubbed.

"Yes, okay, okay. Bye."

She hung up and looked at Alice regretfully.

"I'm really sorry," she said, waving her phone in place, "Forgot the keys. I have to go."

"No problem, I understand," Alice replied genuinely, "We'll do it again."

"Yes, I'd like that," Tara replied, taking the last long sip of her wine, "I'll see you at work."

Alice reached over and squeezed Tara's upper arm affectionately.

"See you tomorrow. Bye Tara."

Tara waved with her fingers as she threw her purse over her shoulder and headed out to catch the T home.

She was there twenty minutes later and Willow scrambled up to stand as she saw her round the corner.

"I'm sorry."

Tara had her key out, ready to put in the door.

"It's okay," she said, opening the door for them, "Are you alright?"

"Grossed out, worn out and hungry," Willow answered, grateful to step over the threshold, "Did I mention sore?"

Tara put her purse on the table, waved Willow's keys in her face, then tapped her back.

"Go sit down, I'll make dinner."

Willow leaned on Tara and kissed where her mouth fell, messily between Tara's neck and shoulder blade.

"Looovvveee you."

She floated over to collapse on the couch while Tara rolled her sleeves up and went to see what she could whip up quickly. Fifteen minutes later, she brought two plates out of spicy salmon with bok choy and rice.

Willow sat with her legs stretched out and took her plate, while Tara lifted Willow's legs and sat beneath with them in her lap. They were both hungry so ate in silence for a few minutes before slowing enough to talk halfway through to talk.

"Did you have a nice drink with your work friend?" Willow asked, feeling guilty for pulling her away.

Tara smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, she's very kind and friendly," she said, then considered her words for a moment as she flaked off a piece of salmon, "She almost caught me out though. I would have been so embarrassed if she realised."

"What were you doing?" Willow asked, curious.

Tara's nose scrunched.

"I was checking out the waitress's ass," she admitted.

She wasn't sure how Willow would react, but she just grinned.

"You should've seen the pair on my gym instructor."

"Ha," Tara replied with a laugh, "And I bet you saw plenty."

Willow blushed but didn't deny and finished off the last of her rice. Tara rested their empty plates on each other and left them on the coffee table to load into the dishwasher later. She took Willow's legs back over her lap and began to massage her calves.

Willow's toes curled with delight and she felt her muscles start to relax.

"That's nice. Everywhere hurts."

"Did you stretch?" Tara asked, then made a clucking sound when Willow shook her head, "You need to stretch, baby."

"I know, baby," Willow replied with a sigh mixed with a grin, enjoying the massage too much to be chastised.

"Do it next time," Tara advised, firmly pressing her thumbs into Willow's stiff muscles.

"If I go back," Willow said, lounging back with a deep sigh, "I wish I was naturally fit like you."

"I do walk a lot," Tara pointed out.

Willow nodded agreeably.

"Yeah, I know. And I know I'm lazy. That's what I'm trying to fix. You know, on the whole self-improvement kick and everything."

Tara gently tickled the sole of Willow's foot.

"I'm very proud of you for wanting to work on yourself."

Willow seemed very pleased with that.

"I'm gonna learn how to use the treadmill properly and the rowing machine," she vowed, "I need to strengthen my legs to keep going on that bike and wagon."

Tara rested her head on the back of the couch and smiled adoringly in Willow's direction.

"You're so lovely to do that every day. I bet the people really appreciate it. It might be the only human contact some of them get a day."

"The centre manager said that too," Willow recalled.

Tara lifted an eyebrow.

"The one who hit on you?"

Willow rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I wasn't so flattered after all. Turns out he just hits on everyone. I heard the nurses gossiping. He's not sleazy, he took no for an answer right away, but he just tries his luck all around. Guess he thinks it's a numbers game. Ask enough women and one is bound to say yes."

Tara shook her head.

"That doesn't sound like the best way to manage a facility _or_ find love."

Willow shrugged one shoulder.

"He's nice, just a bit dorky. Been there. Can't blame him for trying."

Tara acquiesced and continued rubbing Willow's calves.

"Wanna watch some TV?"

Willow smiled, happy for Tara to get lost in a show, and in turn, lost in the massage.

"Sure."

Exercise was worth it when Tara was there to rub her down.

* * *

Tara arrived home and unusually, Willow wasn't there to greet her.

Tara hadn't realised how accustomed she'd become to a welcome home hug and felt Willow's lack of presence quite deeply. She shrugged her purse onto the table and went to change into jeans and a t-shirt. As she came back out of the bedroom, Willow walked through the door in shorts and a tank and holding a white box.

Tara wasn't sure whether Willow was just back from a jog around the neighbourhood, as she'd started to enjoy doing, or if she was just sweaty from the summer heat, but she very much appreciated the display of Willow's tight, toned and sheeny body.

Willow's calves were so defined she was almost afraid they'd cut her and her thighs were so strong and muscular that she was sure they could crush her head the next time she was lucky enough to be between them.

She licked her lips to get some moisture back and went over to plant a smooch on Willow's lips, but instead got the box thrust in her face.

"Look what I got!"

"What is it?" Tara asked, flustered.

Willow dropped the box on the table and started to tear into it.

"My new phone. Can you believe it? I was able negotiate one of the iPhones since I was only getting one upgrade instead of two. Thank you so much for not wanting a new phone!"

She ripped through the packaging and produced her shiny new gadget.

"Wow!"

She grabbed the charger and went to sit on the couch with the nearest outlet to plug it in and start to play.

Tara tried to compose herself, but watching Willow's ass walk away didn't help much. She followed Willow over to the couch and perched as close to her as possible.

"Do you want to eat?" she asked, breathily, then splayed out her hand just above Willow's thigh, "I could…eat."

Willow's eyes didn't leave her powering-up phone.

"I'll just make a sandwich or something later. Go ahead and eat."

Tara slid her hand up so her pinky finger brushed against the hem of Willow's shorts.

"It's nice to eat together," she said eagerly, tone throaty before adding on more bluntly, "Let's go to bed,"

Willow looked perplexed.

"It's barely six o' clock," she said, then squealed as the phone landed on the menu screen, "Oh my god, it's on, it's on!"

Tara sighed, removed her hand and went to make herself some pasta. She made enough for Willow to have later and had to entertain herself for the evening while Willow stayed glued to her phone, and at times syncing up her phone and computer.

Tara had been in bed twenty minutes when she heard some movement; the clacking of Willow putting a bowl in the dishwasher, the sound of her brushing her teeth, then saw her walk in, still with her thumb scrolling the screen.

Tara was lying on her side, reading a book, and had to stop herself from tensing her jaw.

"You've been on that thing all evening."

Willow popped the button on her shorts with one hand, shimmied out of them and got into bed in her tank and panties. Tara couldn't help the pang between her legs despite her annoyance.

"It's so cool," Willow gushed, "It can do everything, and there's these things called apps and they can do even more!"

"Great," Tara replied, half sarcastically, "Are you going to turn it off now?"

Willow shook her head.

"I'm still getting it put together just how I want it."

Tara sighed softly and turned back to her book.

She knew nothing could come between Willow and a new toy.

* * *

Tara buffed the coffee table with a cloth for the tenth time in a row that morning. A Saturday morning tidy had turned into deep, almost frantic cleaning but it wasn't doing for Tara what she hoped it would. Nothing seemed to expel the energy she had pent up.

Willow had gone for a jog an hour ago, and seeing her in those work-out shorts were Tara's new kryptonite. She was still thinking about them as she worked out her physical frustration and wondered if a cold shower was in order.

Her thoughts then drifted to the idea of a warmer shower and the detachable shower head. She was very close to making the decision to lock herself in the bathroom when Willow returned, smiling and sweaty.

Tara felt an ache and squeezed her legs together to try and contain it. Willow popped her earphones out of her ears and left them on the table with the cable connected to her phone, which she waved about.

"This thing is great, I can listen to all my music on it and–"

Tara watched Willow gush and thought she could literally feel herself snap. Willow had been in a relationship with that phone since the moment she got it and Tara hadn't had so much as a look in. Granted, it had only been a couple of days, but it was particularly hot and Willow looked particularly scrumptious in her lithe clothing and the frustration of both made Tara boil over.

She strode over in seconds, snatched the phone out of Willow's hand and slid it to the other side of the table.

"No more phone."

"Huh?" Willow asked, brow creasing.

"I am so sick of that goddamn phone," Tara said, squeezing her hands in annoyance, "I get it, it's cool, it's like a mini computer in your hand, but please just pay attention to me for five minutes or at least stop parading around in those shorts!"

Willow was slightly stunned but didn't have a chance to even think of a response before Tara was grabbing her by the waist and sitting her up on the table; the burst of anger quickly flip-flopping into passion.

Tara's mouth landed on Willow's neck and her hands fought to release the string on Willow's shorts.

Willow was totally taken back, but her eyes couldn't help fluttering closed to enjoy the proximity of Tara's body.

"Tara, I'm all sweaty," she said, her tone not conveying the apparent resistance she was putting up.

Tara's tongue fell out of her mouth and licked Willow's salty skin.

"I know. It's amazing."

Tara's hand yanked Willow's shorts down and off. She bent down on her hunches and lifted Willow's tank to kiss her abs.

Willow let out an unexpected moan and stalled Tara with her hand.

"Wait…I was just running…I probably stink."

Tara kneeled down a little more so her nose was pressed into the front of Willow's panties.

"You smell so good."

She pushed Willow's panties to one side and licked her wet lips.

When she kept going back for more, Willow didn't argue any longer and closed her hands around the edge of the table. Her head lolled back and her stronger-than-ever thighs clasped Tara's head between them.

Tara could feel Willow's muscles flexing against her ears and her knees gave way. She managed not to break contact as they spread out on the floor to take her weight. Willow's floating moans just encouraged her mouth to work even faster.

She had a lot of sexual frustration to let out and her hands were showing her eagerness; grabbing and stroking right from Willow's outer thighs, around to her ass and back to palm her thighs again.

She was on fire between her legs and could feel her clit throbbing all the way up to her ears. She needed to feel Willow deeper, so her knees snapped back up to standing and she pulled Willow off the table. She spun Willow around and bent her over.

Willow barely had a second to process it all before she felt her panties slide down to her knees and Tara's fingers entering her from behind.

"Fuck!"

She thrust her hips back and reached behind with one hand to grab Tara's ass. She pulled Tara forward to add to their momentum and put more weight into her thrusts.

Tara's movements were desperate and that extended to dropping her own pants and panties to her ankles so there was skin-on-skin contact against their thighs. She struggled to keep her trembling hands still enough to pop the button, but finally the material gave and she moaned as Willow's hand reached behind again with fingertips sinking into her bare cheek.

While she pumped her fingers in and out of Willow, her other hand fell under Willow's shirt and groped her breast, though the thick material of the sports bra was restrictive.

Willow felt it too and snatched the tank over her head and frantically reached behind to pull off her bra. Her panties had fallen to her ankles in their movements and a quick step found them skidding across the floor.

Finally everything was off but her socks and running shoes, which would have required a pause of precious seconds to remove that she wasn't willing to give. The coolness of the table against her skin mixed with the heat pouring from them both was driving her wild. Her nipples were stiff and grazing off the wood, just adding to her overall ecstasy.

"Jesus, Tara…"

A strained moan passed her lips and Tara felt it drift into her ears and pang between her legs. She rotated her wrist so her thumb could slip underneath and rub Willow's clit.

She felt Willow's heat start to engulf her fingers and used every trick she had to make her scream, and soon.

Willow did just that as she came moments later, her weak body only holding its position because of the close press of Tara's body.

Tara closed her other hand around Willow's butt cheek, slowly dragged her fingers out and used them to rub herself to orgasm in just seconds. She slumped forwards with her pussy pressed against Willow's ass and took in slow, deep breaths.

As her breath slowed, she saw Willow's hand creep up the table at what Tara thought was her phone.

"Can you be away from that thing for ten minutes for once?" she snapped, then had to be contrite when Willow's hand just closed around the water bottle instead, "…sorry. I'm sorry."

Willow slowly turned so she was half-standing/half-sitting on the table. She offered the water to Tara first, who took a slow glug, then handed it back. Willow downed some herself and left the water bottle off to the side. She pulled Tara's hips to hers, who was looking quite shy about being half naked in the living room and coyly hiding herself with two hands between her legs.

Willow wasn't as uncomfortable, though did do the cross-arm fold over her chest and her legs crossed over each other.

"Guess I've been a bit glued to that thing."

"A bit," Tara replied, still taking in laboured breaths, "Especially when I wanted my head glued somewhere else."

Willow's eyebrows shot up. Eating had become an absent-minded pastime and she hadn't kept up with her shows, but she was shocked that she would ever deny a Tara-craving.

"Did I blow you off?!"

Tara nodded uncomfortably.

"Yeah. A few times."

Willow smiled apologetically, but it quirked into a smirk.

"A few times, huh? It's only been a couple of days."

Tara blushed even more.

"Your muscles are very sexy."

Willow was pleased her efforts were being appreciated but gave herself a kick up the butt for snubbing Tara.

"You need to tell me when I'm being an asshole," she said, leaning in to brush their noses together, "You know me and new tech. I'll do better, I promise."

Their lips naturally found each other and Willow's hands migrated to hold Tara's face. They kissed softly several times, then Willow let one hand fall to link their fingers together.

She pushed herself off the table and lifted Tara's shirt over her head, then snapped her bra off. Tara's eyes flamed with new lust and her coy hands dropped, no longer embarrassed to be on show.

Their naked bodies pressed together and Tara stepped out of her pants and panties while Willow kicked her shoes and socks off. She pulled Tara in for another deep kiss, then gently pulled her hand to lead her into the bedroom, smiling sensually over her shoulder as she did so.

"Starting right now."


	7. Chapter 7

**billy –** thanks!

* * *

Tara stretched out her limbs as she roused from slumber, blearily turning her face towards the sunlight beaming in through the blinds.

She smiled at the warmth and closed her eyes again, whilst scooting closer to Willow. Sunday mornings were the only real time they both indulged in sleeping in and made no rush to get out of bed.

Her arm wrapped around Willow's waist and she pulled herself closer so they were spooning.

Willow had been waking up too and her face broke out in a big smile when she felt them nestling up.

"Hey baby," she greeted with some morning husk.

"Hey baby," Tara returned sleepily, through a deep inhalation of breath, "Sun is out…"

"I can feel it…" Willow replied, turning her head so the stream hit her eyelids, "I bet it's a scorcher out there. My face is so hot."

Tara's hand slipped under Willow's top and started drawing concentric circles on her stomach.

"It's not the only thing…"

Her fingers dipped under the waistband of Willow's pyjama bottoms and brushed against the fine hairs of her mound.

Willow's breath hitched and she felt herself 'waking up'. Her hips squirmed and pressed back so her butt rutted into Tara.

Tara recognised a sleepy come-on when she felt it and pressed her palm right into Willow's belly. Her hand slid down onto Willow's hip, pulling the fabric down just over her hipbone. Willow sighed happily and Tara capitalised on it.

She ducked under the blanket and kissed the exposed skin; slowly turning Willow onto her back and trailing her lips towards her girlfriend's bellybutton. Willow moaned like Tara wanted her to and continued on her path.

She pushed Willow's top up until it bunched under her breasts, and Willow took it the rest of the way off. Tara pressed kisses along Willow's abs, which were really starting to become defined from exercise. Tara dragged her lips against the muscles, enjoying their jump under her tongue. She followed their outline and returned to Willow's bellybutton to dip her tongue in.

Willow's neck gently arched into the pillows and her hardened abdomen twisted beneath Tara's touch. She ached between her legs with Tara's mouth so close but was too filled with the Sunday morning lazies to make the effort to get her down there.

Instead, she enjoyed the gentle caresses with a relaxed smile on her face and closed eyelids to focus intently on the stimulus below the covers.

The tip of Tara's tongue did one last jaunt along the middle of Willow's abs, and her mouth continued the journey upward instead of dipping back down. The top of her head popped out from under the blanket as she reached Willow's breasts; kissing her nipples and gently giving the occasional nip.

Willow's body jerked and Tara eyed her with a grin. Tara pressed a lingering kiss to the hollow of Willow's throat and then nuzzled into her neck and swirled her tongue around. Willow tilted her head so Tara would pay attention to that sensitive spot under her ear. She shuddered as Tara did just that.

Eventually Willow felt she'd been lazy enough and turned her head back to Tara. She put a finger under Tara's chin, lifting it up so their lips met. Tara's hand rose to Willow's face, touching her jaw softly. She then tucked some hair behind Willow's ear and her fingers twirled the ends of Willow's hair, following the curve of her ear.

Her hand gently fell away and her fingertips pressed into Willow's shoulder, past her arm and to her sides.

She tugged at the pyjama bottoms she'd loosened earlier and pushed them down to Willow's knees. Willow bunched and kicked them the rest of the way, then with her legs free she rolled over and trapped Tara to pull off her sleep shorts. Tara bent her knees up for Willow to yank, whilst she pulled her own tank top over her head.

When all clothing was in various puddles on the floor, Tara had her lips on Willow's thighs and was dragging her tongue along the arousal spilled there. She delicately touched the tip of her tongue against Willow's swollen lips and delighted in the twitching it produced. She parted them with a slow, long lick before taking her tongue back into her mouth and audibly swallowing.

Willow covered her face with her hands but they were pulled away moments later and Tara was above her again, kissing her, still with that unmistakable tang on her lips. Willow closed her arms around Tara's back and sat right up; taking handfuls of Tara's skin and returning the kiss passionately.

During a brief break to take in a breath, Willow threw her leg over and straddled Tara. Her eyes dropped to Tara's breasts and their gentle heave as she breathed, then up to her effortlessly sexy bedhead and relaxed, folded arms underneath.

She had casually alluring look in her eye that said 'come get me', and Willow fully intended to.

Willow put her hands above the elbows of each of Tara's bent arms and caressed upwardly to her wrists. She held them there firmly, pinning them.

Tara moved her hands from under to above her head so Willow could have the control and pull at her all she wanted. She batted her eyelashes and felt Willow's grasp on her tighten as her eyes clouded with arousal.

Tara felt a pang between her legs under the intense gaze and her thighs began to clamp together, but Willow swooped in there first and pressed her thigh against Tara's heat.

Tara's neck arched into the pillows and Willow took advantage, scraping her teeth delicately against Tara's throat. Tara's hips rolled upwards against Willow's thigh as soft sounds of pleasure bounced off the walls.

She angled her hips to get more direct friction on her clit, which Willow helped accommodate as best she could. Tara's fingers splayed out, the pads brushing against the headboard and gently scraping it as her fingers curled back to their original position.

Willow felt the stretch of Tara's wrists under her hands and released them, sliding her hands up to link their fingers instead. She squeezed their palms together as she kissed down to Tara's breasts, then brushed her palms down Tara's arms and over her chest as her lips descended.

Tara let her arms fall down by her side, giving her muscles a break from being held over her head. They had barely rested a second before Willow surprised her by dropping straight down between her legs and kissing her clit, causing startled, frantic clutching at the sheet.

"Oh, mmmm…Willow…"

Willow loved her name verbalised in that low, raspy tone. She went in for it, tonguing Tara's folds to hear it even more. Her hands palmed Tara's outer thighs, allowing them to still clamp around her ears as Tara's body strained under her touch.

Tara's eyes were closed and her lips quirked up in a smile as the build-up of pleasure bubbled in her abdomen. She giggled as Willow's fingertips tickled her thighs.

"Come back up here. I miss you."

Willow crawled back up to hover over Tara. She dragged a finger around her mouth to wipe it, then traced Tara's lips with the same finger.

"I'm not doing a good enough job if you're able to say that so coherently."

"I'm more concerned about connecting," Tara replied, catching Willow's finger between her teeth and releasing it, "Connecting and coupling and…coming."

She pulled Willow's hips down to hers and held them locked there as she rolled Willow onto her back.

"Those are good 'c' words," Willow replied as her eyes glanced downwards, "Almost as good as cu–"

"Careful," Tara interjected, very slowly lowering the rest of herself so their bodies touched at each point.

Willow smirked and motioned Tara to her with a curl of her finger. Tara closed the gap and pressed her lips to Willow, slowly savouring her for a moment before pushing through with her tongue.

Willow's hands splayed over Tara's cheeks as she gently pulled her face in, bringing them as close as they could be. They moved at a leisurely pace; kissing unhurriedly and exchanging soft, brushing caresses.

"You're so soft," Willow whispered as one hand followed the curve of Tara's rear, "You always feel softer. And so…ohhhh…"

Her bottom lip trembled as Tara's thigh gently slid between her legs and offered some friction to her quivering clit. She spread her legs to get a smoother glide as her teeth dug into her lower lip.

She took the pleasure given until she heard Tara's little moans in her ears get needy. There was no demanding but she wanted the sweetness that was their back and forth, so turned them both on their sides. She nipped and pecked at Tara's lips, then pulled her close by the hip and sunk her fingers between Tara's legs.

Tara angled her knee so Willow had better access and bent her head down to close her mouth around Willow's nipples. Her hand weaved its way to Willow's thighs and inwards until they were mirroring each other's motions; fingers encircling each other's clits.

Willow ducked her head to kiss Tara, pulling at her lips hungrily. Their wrists crossed as they moved lower, and there was a mutual moan into each other's mouths as their fingers slid inside.

Their heads ducked around as they interspersed kisses with quick breaths and giggles. Their hands worked inside each other, touching and twirling and twisting in various ways to drive each other crazy.

"Do that more," Willow panted against Tara's lips, "Oh, baby…"

Tara's neck tilted back and Willow began to leave messy kisses on her throat. She nipped at Tara's collarbone, which elicited a sharp groan.

Tara's hips sped up and Willow's matched quickly until they were both grinding desperately and exchanging needy moans.

"I'm so close," Tara whispered, her tongue poking out into Willow's ear.

"Oh, me too," Willow replied, barely able to contain the fire erupting in her belly, "Tara, please…"

Tara put her chin over Willow's shoulder and brought them as close together as physically possible for the final push. Their hands and legs tangled together as they reached deeply inside each other and curled their fingers for maximum pleasure.

Tara felt the swell in her abdomen burst and her whole body tensed as the accompanying pleasure travelled through her. She took a long moment to herself, but quickly got back to tending to Willow, rotating her thumb up to rub her clit. Willow took just seconds to collapse into her, shakily gasping for breath and spasming around Tara.

The sheet was strewn around their feet and both hands were still nestled between each other's legs as their chests heaved together.

"Mmm," Willow smiled lazily into Tara's neck, "Good morning all 'round…"

Tara caught Willow's legs between hers and moved her head to Willow's chest, ear over her heart.

She clung to Willow and pressed a soft kiss against her skin.

"It's never enough. I just want to be closer."

Willow chuckled.

"Somebody got a big hit of oxytocin."

Tara nuzzled where she was, her hair brushing against Willow's chest.

"Maybe I just think you're wonderful."

Willow smiled at the tickle and dropped her head to inhale softly from the top of Tara's head.

Tara could feel the shifting sun's rays on her back and bouncing off her buttocks. She stayed still so as not to disturb its warmth until the call of nature became too much of an ache to bear.

She carefully extracted herself and wandered naked into the bathroom. When she was finished, she gave her face a quick wash and brushed her teeth for freshness. When she got back to the bedroom, Willow had coiled herself around a pillow and was snoring softly into it.

She went over and pulled the blanket gently over her girlfriend and kissed her temple, before going off to shower and dress, quietly.

She forwent her usual morning strong coffee for a relaxing cup of raspberry tea and sat with her feet up, flicking through the trashy magazine she treated herself too occasionally for some escapism.

She came across a recipe and decided she would try it for lunch, so quickly scanned the fridge for ingredients and made a little list for what she needed. She pocked that, then headed out to the fire escape where her small planter box had some herbs growing.

She tore some basil leaves and lifted them up to her nose.

The aromatic scent filled her nostrils and gave her that fresh, summery feeling. She plucked a whole bunch of it and climbed back in through the window. Willow had gotten up and was making coffee in the kitchen, redressed in the pyjamas she'd thrown off.

Tara gave her a sidelong hug as she approached and kissed the back of Willow's head.

"Hello sugarplum."

"That's a new one," Willow replied sleepily, "And so festive…for summer."

Tara paused with her lips on Willow's head, then brought her mouth to the top of Willow's ear to whisper.

"You tasted so sweet this morning."

Willow's cheeks turned red and she cleared her throat.

"So, um, what were you doing out there?"

"Collecting some herbs," Tara answered, twirling the leaves under Willow's nose before turning to the opposite counter to chop.

"You're growing herbs on the fire escape?" Willow asked, confused.

"Saves us money," Tara replied as she got down her pestle and mortar.

Willow peered over Tara's shoulder at the little bowls of chopped garlic and toasted pine nuts she already had prepared.

"What are you making?"

Tara placed the garlic in the bowl and sprinkled some salt over it before beginning to pound.

"Some fresh pesto. I'm going to make some pesto chicken flatbread tarts for lunch."

"Um, that sounds yummy," Willow replied eagerly, "You've done all the cooking this weekend."

Tara smiled over.

"You've had a meal on the table for me when I get home every day this week."

"Not 'pesto chicken flatbread tarts'," Willow replied, stirring sugar into her coffee, "Nachos…grilled cheese and canned tomato soup…"

"You made that delicious pasta bake and those jacket potatoes with the tuna," Tara replied affectionately, "Don't knock yourself."

Willow closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around Tara's waist from behind. She rested her chin on Tara's shoulder and kissed her ear.

"I love you."

Tara reached behind and patted Willow's head.

"I love you too."

Willow clung to Tara for a few moments until her pop-tarts popped out of the toaster and she took them out, flipping between hands when the pastry burned her. She started to walk out to the couch, but Tara called out without even looking over.

"Crumbs."

Willow doubled back, grabbed a plate and ate them over it while she booted up her laptop to do her morning news and social media check. After a while, she noticed Tara gathering her things up in her tote bag that she took shopping.

"Where are you off to?"

"I need to go to the market," Tara replied, popping her sunglasses over her eyes, "I want some sweet sun blushed tomatoes and some chilli peppers for the marinade I'm making for the chicken."

Willow was salivating at the thought of what Tara was going to produce. She set her laptop aside and stood up.

"Can I come?"

Tara's eyebrow rose just over the frame of her sunglasses.

"You never want to come to the market with me. You said you can get it in cheaper in Trader Joe's and with air conditioning."

"I feel like spending some time with you," Willow replied, smiling softly, "If I won't cramp your style."

"Who's got the oxytocin hit now?" Tara replied with a grin, then patted Willow's butt, "Get dressed. I'll hang on."

Willow scurried into the bedroom and picked out a yellow t-shirt with turquoise capris. She tied up the laces on her converse and found her own sunglasses, then joined Tara again. They held hands and smiled at each other, then walked downstairs and out of their building.

It was a hot summer's day and Willow was glad she'd popped her sunglasses on before exiting. The rays bounced off the lenses but her head still felt their full impact and her forehead began sweating almost instantly.

"Damn…it's hot."

"Missing that air conditioning yet?" Tara asked with a grin.

"Well this isn't my _favourite_ kind of hot and sweaty…" Willow quipped back, "But you're still here, so it's all good."

"You work your charm so well," Tara replied, linking their fingers to secure their hands.

"You're not too bad at it yourself," Willow said, very glad for her sunglasses' second function of hiding her eyes while she took a sneaky peek down Tara's top.

The farmer's market was just around the corner and a frequent haunt of Tara's. She went every weekend to stock up on fruit for them and always picked up something new and exotic, like a variety of hot pepper or an Asian vegetable she hadn't tried before.

Very occasionally she'd bought them a nice cheese, which she thought Willow would like after telling her she enjoyed it in Europe, but apparently it stunk up the fridge and put her off.

The first stall they encountered was filled with both planted and packs of seeds of herbs. Tara lifted a bunch of greens to her nose and treated it much the same way she had the basil earlier.

"Fresh arugula. I love how it smells."

She felt Willow's nose hit against the back of her neck.

"I love how you smell," Willow whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

Tara blushed and hid her face by rooting in her tote to find her wallet. She pulled out the buck and change to hand to the vendor, then tucked her arugula away safely.

"Behave," she whispered back to Willow, then handed Willow five dollars as if it was her allowance, "Here, have a look around and go buy yourself something while I get what I need."

"Okay!" Willow agreed cheerily, having had her eye on something, "Meet you back here in a few?"

Tara nodded and they shared a brief peck before going in opposite directions. Tara was a much more composed shopper than Willow, who always went a little crazy with the 'buy one get one frees' and other offers – she'd often overspend their weekly budget, but amass enough food to keep them going for two, so it evened out.

Tara has internally freaked out the first time, worried Willow was beyond understanding of their new, modest finances and budget, but knew her girlfriend didn't need the knock in confidence, so she'd let it play out – and it had all fallen into place.

She enjoyed the array of colours as she passed; of fruit, vegetables and flowers and as she passed an artisan bread stall, she was momentarily transported back to Paris by the smell.

She made the unusual stop there and an even more unusual buy, detouring off her list, to buy some of their flatbread instead of making her own. She definitely considered it a luxury treat, but it was worth it. It was still warm as they wrapped it up in parchment paper and handed it over to her and Tara hurried to get the rest of her list so she could start cooking with it straight away.

Willow was already leaning against a lamppost with her arms full, but straightened up with a big smile when she saw Tara approaching.

"You know I can't resist big, juicy melons!" she said, struggling to fit her arms around the large watermelon in her hands, "What did you get?"

"What I needed, some great flatbread and this," Tara replied, showing Willow a small jar, "A homemade tomato chutney. It will go amazing with our lunch and cheese and crackers if we want a snack."

Willow nose scrunched up.

"Cheese?"

Tara resisted rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses.

"I didn't buy any," she said, falling into step with Willow back towards their apartment, "You can use the cracker barrel you have at home."

"Hey, don't mock the 'barrel," Willow retorted, "I started buying the fancy aged reserve one just for you. I experimented in Europe but I'm an American girl through and through and American girls like their American cheese!"

She started juggling the watermelon, so Tara took the other end of it and they walked at an angle home. When they got there, Willow started to cut and deseed the watermelon into slices and Tara began preparing the chicken.

"How come you're doing a marinade and pesto?" Willow asked as she carefully sliced the rind, "Isn't that double downing on the sauces?"

"The marinade is mostly for tenderising and heat from the chili," Tara replied, rubbing the mixture into some scored chicken breasts, "The pesto is flavour."

"Ah, makes sense," Willow replied with a bob of her head, "I hate deseeding these things but they're so yummy."

"Mmm, and so refreshing on a hot day," Tara agreed, "That thing will do us until the end of the week. It's a monster."

"Frankenmelon," Willow replied, giggling, "Live and be happy and make others so with your delicious taste!"

She gently scraped at the seeds, humming happily to herself.

"You make me happy," she continued, smiling.

Tara turned her head to return the sentiment, but instead saw Willow hugging the half of the fruit she hadn't cut up yet.

"Sweet watermelon."

Tara shook her head and turned back to her food, laying out her flatbreads to go in the oven to crisp up. She got her chicken chargrilling on a skillet and prepared a salad to lie underneath it.

She noticed Willow munching on the melon as she sliced it and gently slapped her hand.

"Stop filling up," she said, then pointed to the silverware drawer, "Will you set the table?"

"Sure!" Willow replied eagerly, "I'll make it all fancy with napkins and everything."

Tara had to smile as Willow jumped around getting things to set the table with, with that adorable bounce she had in her step. She kissed Willow's cheek and received a nuzzle back.

As Willow laid out the silverware, Tara took the flatbreads from the oven and smeared the bottom with the tomato chutney, then layered with arugula, red onion, the sun blushed tomatoes and the chicken on top, leaving it all as an open sandwich.

She sprinkled some grated cheese over them, which melted into the chicken, then cracked some black pepper over it all. She picked up the plates to bring them over, but Willow was un-setting the table.

"What are you doing?"

"Better idea!" Willow replied, rolling two sets of silverware into napkins, "Fire escape lunch!"

"You're coming over to my way of thinking," Tara replied with a grin, "Sounds good to me."

Willow tucked the napkins under her arm and fetched two cool bottles of iced tea from the fridge.

"You were right, it's nice to sit out there. It's like our own little cage to observe the Bostonian way of life."

She led them out and sat cross-legged in the corner, while Tara sat opposite. They settled plates and drinks and Willow immediately folded her flatbread in half and took a big bite. Tara smiled, admiring her.

"You sure know how to get your mouth around something."

Willow blushed, hiding a smile.

"So I'm told," she replied, licking the corner of her mouth, "This is really delicious. You were right about that tomato chutney. I bet you could make stuff like that."

"Maybe," Tara replied with a shrug, then reached over to wipe Willow's cheek with her thumb, "You're messy but I love you."

Willow wiped at her face with her napkin.

"I love you, Tare-bear."

She put her sandwich down and picked up the fork to eat with instead. She watched Tara eat, relaxed, and smiled.

She thought back to their first weekend lazing in bed together; those they'd woken up early to watch the sunrise; those they'd rolled out of bed for cartoons and applesauce and now; enjoying their day off together in the summer sun with delicious food they'd made in their own home.

She imagined what the future weekends might look like; their own yard, travel, hobbies, babies. She knew she didn't care what they entailed, as long as Tara was the common denominator.

She scooted in a little closer to Tara so she could take her hand while they ate.

"And I adore Sundays with my mesmerising missus."

Tara squeezed Willow's hand in hers.

"And your mesmerising missus adores Sundays with you."


	8. Chapter 8

**jaiden83** – _6_ : Take Charge Tara takes what she wants – it's in the name! :P

 _7:_ I'm sorry I made you hungry! I'll buy you a burger next time :P

 **billy** – Domesticity is oddly jealousy inducing!

 **jake** – Thanks! It's definitely an interesting life shift to go from college to real life, and I'm happy to be able to see them through it!

 **FivebyFive89** – Damn I'm making everybody hungry!

 **gg** – Thanks!

* * *

Willow watched Tara push her food around her plate without much enthusiasm, barely a bite having passed her lips.

"Are you okay, baby? You haven't touched your dinner."

She looked down at her own plate and frowned.

"It sucks doesn't it? I thought I mastered pasta, but I knew I got the sauce wrong. It's too tomato-y."

Tara blinked herself out of her stupor when she noticed Willow's mouth moving. She tried to get the words to register in her brain and caught a few, putting the rest together.

She hadn't realised she'd been in her own world, but Willow had finished her meal already and Tara barely remembered sitting down. She sat up and left her napkin in her plate, not before wiping it swiftly against her slightly clammy brow.

She cleared her throat and reached over to cover Willow's hand, squeezing it softly.

"It was really nice, honey. I just don't have much of an appetite."

"Is something wrong?" Willow asked, turning her hand in Tara's.

"I'm just a bit queasy," Tara admitted, "Maybe that yogurt I had for lunch was off."

"Baby," Willow replied sympathetically, "Tummy rub?"

Tara nodded gratefully and stood to bring her dishes into the kitchen. Willow put a hand on her wrist to stop her.

"Leave it, I'll do them later."

She linked their fingers and gently tugged Tara over to the couch. She sat down first, with her back against the arm rest and her legs swung up but bent apart. She encouraged Tara to lie between her legs and coaxed her girlfriend's head to rest on her chest.

She stroked the front strands of Tara's hair, then dropped one hand to slip softly under Tara's shirt to rub her stomach.

She handed Tara the remote, who flicked through some channels and they eventually settled in to watch a romantic comedy.

During the movie, a song played – 'The Book Of Love', a cover version sung by Peter Gabriel. It was sweet and romantic and made them both smile. Tara was half asleep, but she tickled the back of Willow's hand, which was still on her stomach but motionless.

"Love you, Willow."

"I love you," Willow echoed, kissing the top of Tara's head.

The movie ended and Tara really had fallen asleep. Willow tried to shift out with as little movement as possible to get her a blanket, but they were too entrenched with each other and she ended up waking her.

"Sorry, baby," Willow apologised softly, "C'mon, I'll take you to bed."

Tara rubbed her eyes and straightened up, feeling her stomach drop almost immediately with nausea. She lifted her hand to her mouth, and closed her eyes for a moment to let it wash over her and leave.

After a moment or two, she felt able to stand.

"Bed, baby," Willow encouraged.

Tara shook her head and started to woozily search for her phone.

"I-I need to text Becky and wish her good luck."

It was Becky's first classes in her new school the following day and Tara had been sending her regular encouragements to build up her confidence and lessen her nerves.

"I'll send one from both of us," Willow reassured while standing, "She'll be fine. She got into the school she wanted. She knows her English lit, that's for sure. You should rest. Do you feel any better?"

Tara didn't feel a whole lot better at all but didn't want Willow to think she hadn't appreciated her comforting.

"Mmhhm."

Willow gently squeezed Tara around the middle from behind, which made Tara's stomach lurch and sent her speeding towards the bathroom. Willow grimaced when she heard retching and hovered in the doorway, giving Tara some space.

"Honey? Are you okay?"

Tara's leg kicked out behind her and the door slammed in Willow's face. The sounds continued so Willow retreated into the bedroom and took out some of Tara's comfiest pyjamas. She turned the sheet down and fluffed the pillows. Tara appeared after a few minutes, pale. Willow smiled sympathetically.

"One lousy yogurt huh?"

She handed over the pyjamas and left for a minute, returning with a glass of water and bottle of Pepto-Bismol. She left the glass down and poured the thick, pink liquid onto the medicine spoon.

Tara slipped under the sheet and Willow held the spoon up to her mouth. When it was gone, she tucked Tara in and kissed her forehead. Tara turned her head up and nuzzled their noses.

"Thank you."

"'Welcome," Willow replied and kissed the corner of Tara's mouth, able to smell the toothpaste from the thorough brushing she'd obviously given her teeth, "Want me to hold you?"

Tara's eyes were sunken and vulnerable.

"You don't have to."

Willow just smiled and crawled in the other side, ditching her pants on the way so she was freer to curl around Tara.

"Dummy," she said affectionately as she gathered Tara in her arm, careful to avoid any pressure on her stomach, "I always want to hold you. I'm sorry you're feeling all blech-y."

Tara's eyes were already closed and her stomach was eased by the lack of motion.

"Better like this," she mumbled, feeling the comforting warmth of Willow cocooning her.

Willow flicked the light off and felt Tara's breath even off in just moments. She decided to leave the dishes for the morning and not risk waking Tara again.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep inhaling softly from Tara's neck.

* * *

Tara was startled awake from a deep, dizzying sleep by what sounded to her like a jackhammer, power saw and hand drill all getting into a fight.

Everything was hazy around her eyes and her pyjamas were stuck to her with cold, clammy sweat. She felt exhausted, even after sleeping all night and her stomach was gurgling as if hungry, but swirling with nausea at the same time. It felt like a cauldron bubbling with acid.

The sound finally stopped and Tara's unfocused eyes made out Willow's hand slamming down on the alarm, though not from lying alongside her.

Willow was perched on the side of the bed beside Tara, in her robe. She brushed some hair from Tara's eyes, then offered her a mug.

"Woke up early so I made you some tea."

Tara made an effort to sit her weak body up and closed her hands around the mug. They missed once or twice on the way, but finally clasped it. It warmed her hands but a shiver still shot up her spine.

Willow saw and lifted the back of her hand to Tara's forehead as she took a sip of the tea.

"Baby, I think you have a little fev–"

She didn't quite get to finish as Tara's tea immediately came back up before even hitting her stomach. Willow got most of it in her lap and the sheet caught the rest. Tara left the mug on the nightstand and her shaking hands covered her mouth.

"Oh, babe," Willow comforted, stretching an arm around to rub Tara's back, "It's okay, don't worry about it."

"I-I'm so s-s-s-sorry," Tara stammered out, trying to pull the sheet away.

Willow gently took Tara's hands away without moving so she wouldn't displace the mess in her lap, which she had managed not to grimace at.

"Don't worry. You go splash your face and I'll clean this up and get you new pyjamas."

Tara's ashen face creased with confusion.

"I can't wear pyjamas to work."

Willow moved her hand around to Tara's cheek.

"Honey, you're clearly sick. You can't go to work. Just call your boss, the nice one you go for a drink with sometimes. I'm sure she'll understand. You have sick days for a reason."

Tara took a second to consider it all, then got up and wandered hazily into the bathroom. Willow peeled herself out of her robe and pyjamas and wrapped it and the sheets all in a big ball, which she placed in a large trash bag to bring down to the laundry room to wash later.

Her skin hadn't caught any of the avalanche so she just jumped into some sweats and a t-shirt and redressed the bed in fresh sheets. She absolutely abhorred that particular chore and hated doing it on her own even more, but she got through it quickly knowing Tara would need it.

When she was finished, she spotted the bathroom was empty, so walked into the living where Tara was naked with a blanket wrapped around her. She was curled up in a ball on the couch and speaking into her phone.

"Th-thanks Alice. Bye," Tara's trembling voice said before she poked at her phone to hang up and leaned her head against the back of the couch, closing her eyes.

Willow sat down behind her and put her hand on the small of Tara's back.

"All okay?"

Tara nodded without opening her eyes.

"T-two other people have stomach flu and a home in Dorchester is on lock-down with it."

Willow's nose scrunched.

"That sounds…militant."

Tara shook her head.

"It just means they're not sending anyone out there unless it's an emergency. All of the kids there have it too."

Willow shuddered.

"I would not like to be in that house right now."

Tara mutely nodded for a moment, then she slowly slumped, falling asleep. It happened so quickly that Willow only realised when Tara's head lolled and almost fell forward, avoiding a near-miss bash against the lamp.

Willow caught her and gently eased her down to lie on her side, exposing her at the back in the process as the blanket was swathed around her front. Willow got the heavier blanket from the bedroom and covered her up completely.

She kissed Tara's temple from behind, found a basin under the sink and left it alongside the couch in case Tara needed it. She checked the bathroom for the pyjamas Tara had discarded, then snuck off and took the bag of sheets and clothes down to the laundry room.

The only thing Willow hated more than making the bed, was laundry. She was terrified of a repeat of the foaming monster she'd created her first time attempting it solo, though her mistake had never been repeated. She was as careful with the machines as if they were her phone or laptop and they had seemed to come to an agreement. It was necessary, considering how regularly she had to use it.

It was important to her to contribute chores to the household and often tried to pull Tara away from doing them, though Tara had put her foot down too and said she wanted an equal exchange.

Willow, instead, would get as much done during the day so Tara could just come home and not have to see or worry about it. In truth, it was a lot more for her own self-worth than easing Tara's stress, but keeping a nice home for her girlfriend and putting a meal on her plate, combined with her volunteer work made her feel better about herself and her absence of a career.

She had accepted there were a lot more important things than money, but it was still her burning passion to be able to provide for Tara. She had learned there lots of ways to do that, though.

That day, it manifested itself as washing the messed up sheets and taking care of her sick girlfriend. Those were the moments she really did feel reassured that her lack of income did not correlate to a lack of contribution in their relationship.

She put everything in on a short spin cycle, double checked, and left it there to go to the convenience store on the corner to get Tara some soup and crackers.

She picked up a couple of cans of chicken noodle for its healing properties and couple of cans of tomato since it was Tara's favourite. Tara had cooked them some really delicious homemade soups before, but Willow hadn't been able to face the chicken carcass to attempt to make her own stock yet.

She had meant to ask Tara to freeze some stock next time she made it, but that was a request for another day.

She had to check her wallet to see what cash she had and had to choose between oyster crackers and saltines instead of getting both like she wanted. She opted for the saltines and brought everything up to the counter with a smile for the jovial man behind.

"Hi Mr. Chatterjee."

He scanned her items through and packed into a paper bag.

"Chicken soup, very good," he said in his clipped Indian accent.

"Is it good?" Willow asked, turning the can in her hand unsurely, "I was never much of a soup connoisseur."

Mr. Chatterjee nodded along with his wide, toothy smile.

"Very good soup."

His smile was always infectious and Willow returned it.

"Thanks."

She gathered the paper bag in one arm and left with a wave, which was jovially returned.

She stopped by the laundry room on the way home and transferred everything to the tumble dryer, then went back upstairs.

Tara weaved in and out of sleep and threw the blanket off and on herself, seemingly unaware how naked she was beneath. Willow didn't like how often her temperature seemed to be fluctuating, so came over and perched gently on the side of the couch. She used her hand to check Tara's forehead again, making her stir.

Willow felt she was warm and gently rubbed her arm.

"Hey, sleepy. Do you think you could eat some soup?"

Tara threw an arm above her head and turned her head into a cushion.

"Ask the tuna."

Willow wasn't used to being on the other end of inane, sleepy babble and couldn't help a small smile.

"Baby, you're delirious."

Tara groaned into the pillow.

"Eat the tuna, not me."

"Delirious, not delicious," Willow corrected softly, "Though you're that too…when you're feeling better."

She got up and brought back two Tylenol and a small glass of orange juice. She tried to encourage Tara to take them but she didn't have much luck.

"You gotta take these. They'll bring your fever down. Look, you're shivering and sweating."

Tara grudgingly took the pills and the barest amount of juice to get them down. She retched almost immediately and Willow quickly brought the basin up while rubbing Tara's back with the other hand.

The circular rhythm on her back seemed to help and Tara managed to keep the pills down, though not without clutching at her stomach in pain.

"Oh, honey," Willow comforted, tucking the blanket in around Tara, "Can I do anything?"

Tara just grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her head, encasing herself in its warmth. Willow patted her head through the fabric.

"Okay, try and sleep some more."

She quietly went to into the kitchen and made herself a sandwich, then sat at the table with her laptop. She'd been filling out aptitude tests and the like, for curiosity and to have locked away for future intent, but they almost all told her she should be involved in computer science or IT.

That just frustrated her as she couldn't imagine doing an entirely new four-year degree, nor taking out the loan to pay for it.

She clicked away from 'official' business and 'played' for a while until there was a knock on the door. She jumped up to answer it quickly before whoever it was woke Tara. She opened the door to Becky who was waving about a six-pack.

"Hi. I brought beer."

Willow put a finger against her lips to indicate to her to be quiet.

"Just because I gave you the front door code doesn't mean you shouldn't buzz up first."

"What's wrong with you, Ms. Cranky?" Becky retorted.

"Tara's sick, she has stomach flu," Willow replied quietly.

Becky nodded over Willow's shoulder.

"That explains that."

Willow looked over and her eyes widened in horror when she saw Tara had rolled onto her stomach and abandoned her blanket, exposing her nude back, butt and legs. Willow rushed over with the speed of a cheetah and covered Tara back up, who started to come around again.

Becky was hanging back and sighed loudly from the doorway.

"Well there goes beer plans. I can't get sick on my first week. I wanted to tell you all about it and thank Tara for all her texts."

Willow was tucking Tara in as tight as she could.

"Sorry Beck, maybe another–"

"Go," Tara interrupted in a mumble, then turned her head towards Willow so her words were more comprehensible, "Go have a beer."

Willow stroked Tara's hair gently, noting her fever had broken.

"But you need me."

"I threw up on you…I owe you one," Tara replied with drooping, glassy eyes that betrayed the fact she still wasn't altogether coherent, "I'm okay. Just take the tuna."

She pushed Willow insistently and dropped her head back into her pillow, still barely aware of her surroundings.

"Go!"

Willow held her hands up defensively and stood up. She rubbed Tara's back once, then got her phone and left it on the arm rest.

"Call me if you need me?"

Tara nodded into her pillow and Willow kissed her forehead. Tara was asleep again by the time the lips left her skin.

Willow went and gave her hands a good wash, then joined Becky outside the door, which she pulled closed silently to keep Tara undisturbed.

They hadn't even made the few steps to the staircase before Becky smirked.

"I always knew Tara would have a nice ass."

Willow's eyes flashed and she stopped on the spot. She turned, shoved Becky up against the nearest wall and held her there with an arm across her chest, near her neck in a move that would be threatening if Willow's head reached taller than Becky's nose.

"You saw nothing. You'll say nothing. Or I'll tell Jack about the time you peed on the side of the road drunk and had to run away from a cop with your pants around your ankles."

Becky's eyes widened with momentary fear, then she nodded curtly. Willow didn't need height to frighten her.

"I saw nothing."

Willow dropped her arm, nodded that they were in agreement and graciously gestured for Becky to walk ahead of her.

"Thanks," Becky said, returning the same nod, "So will we go to mine - wait, why don't I put these away for Jack and you can take me to that little bar you're always talking about?"

"Umm…" Willow replied uncomfortably.

"My treat!" Becky said easily, "This gal is earning a pay check and plans on spending every last red cent!"

Willow smiled softly, appreciating the gesture. She was keen to show Becky Marshall's Bar, even if it was the antithesis of the trendy downtown scene that she and Jack liked to frequent. Willow and Tara had been dragged down there a few times, but weren't much into it so they had tended to meet with the other couple for dinners instead.

"Okay, thanks," Willow agreed, "Maybe just one. I don't want to leave Tara too long."

Becky agreed, hid the six pack in her hugely oversized purse and they walked down to the end of the block and into the bar. It was only late afternoon, so they had a good pick and found a decent booth. Becky ordered them two beers and came to sit opposite Willow.

She took a long, cool sip and sighed.

"Nice to relax after a long day. I like this place. It's different. Cosy. Quaint."

Willow's eyebrows arched.

"Long day? You finished at 3pm."

"Don't make me lecture you on teacher workloads," Becky threatened good-naturedly.

"Okay, okay," Willow agreed, "So how was it?"

Becky offered a considered nod.

"Yeah, it was pretty good. I had a lot more control than when I was doing student gigs. I was able to teach the lesson my way. I didn't hate it."

"Well, you got a middle school gig," Willow reasoned, "That's what you wanted."

"Yeah, you know what?" Becky asked, eyes creasing, "Tweens suck too. Worse, actually. Hyperactivity of children and hormones of teens. I thought I'd catch them in a calm, in-between phase but it's the opposite! If I could only interact with adults for the rest of my life, I would. And only those of my choosing, too."

Willow threw a hand up in the air.

"Why did you get into teaching if you hate kids?"

"The vacations," Becky answered honestly, "I don't hate all of them. There were some nice kids there today. Really interested in To Kill A Mockingbird. I like the ones who pay attention. The other little shits just piss me off."

Willow shook her head to herself.

"Will you hate my kids?"

Becky's nose scrunched.

"I will if they're sticky. Everyone is sticky. Everything too."

"I promise to always have baby wipes on hand," Willow replied dryly.

Becky smiled, then stared over her beer for a few moments.

"You guys talk about that stuff pretty seriously, huh?"

"Babies?" Willow asked, then nodded, "Yeah. Of course. We need to know we're on the same page for the future. Do you not?"

Becky shrugged. There had been whispered sweet nothings of commitment and that was the furthest she'd ever gotten with a boyfriend.

"I've told him I'd be with him forever in an abstract kinda way."

"That's a big deal for you," Willow replied seriously.

Becky considered it and nodded.

"Yeah it is. So is our one year anniversary coming up in November. I've never had a one-year."

"November?" Willow asked with her brow creased, "You guys got together in October. I remember, because we went to Oktoberfest."

Becky tipped her beer forwards.

"We're counting it from the night we decided we were boyfriend and girlfriend, not from when we first bow-chick-a-wow-wow."

Willow fought a shudder.

"Thanks for sharing."

"You asked!" Becky protested, scoffing lightly, "You're the one talking about icky babies."

Her nose scrunched again.

"You really want babies?"

Willow smiled.

"I want Tara's babies."

"But you didn't before you met?" Becky probed.

It was Willow's turn to shrug.

"I hadn't really thought about it."

"I have. It's one thing I know for sure," Becky replied sincerely, "Jack never talks about kids. Does Tara want babies or your babies?"

"Well she wanted them independent of me before we met, but I hope I'm part of the equation now," Willow joked, "But I would be happy with lots of tiny Taras."

Becky smirked at Willow's wording.

"Butt."

Willow kicked Becky hard under the table.

"OW!"

"I know what you're thinking about," Willow replied with a glare, "Stop it."

Becky held her hands up defensively at first, but they soon changed shape like she was cupping a rear. She had tried, but she just couldn't resist a teasing opportunity, at least towards Willow who would just squirm and seethe. She was kind enough to keep the information from Tara, who she knew would never get over the embarrassment.

That, for her, was real growth.

"It was like, the perfect shape," she gushed, making a squeezing motion with her hands, "She's got buns, hun."

Willow was turning red and produced her phone, waving it about.

"I have Jack's number. I will do it if you do not drop it. I have photographic evidence."

"Okay, okay," Becky replied quickly, "Drop the phone. I said I'd bring home food. Do they do good wings here?"

Willow cautiously packed her phone away, then nodded.

"Yeah, really good. Get half Cajun, half Buffalo."

Becky went up to make the order and came back with some pretzels. They finished off their beers, chatting in good spirits and Becky wisely decided not to bring up Tara's butt again. Willow walked Becky to the T stop and they shared a hug as they were parting.

"Hey, seriously, tell Tara to feel better," Becky said, shrugging her purse on her shoulder, "I'm not gonna mention that other thing again. Or how plump it was."

She smirked but waved an apologetic hand about straight away.

"She's been pumping me with inspirational quotes that were surprisingly helpful. So, that's worth a get out of tease free card."

"I'll tell her, and thanks," Willow replied genuinely, "Give our best to Jack. We should do dinner again soon."

Becky motioned a 'call me' sign as headed into the station. Willow turned and headed home, collecting the dried sheets on the way.

When she got into the apartment and set the folded bedding on the table, she noticed blankets and cushions strewn around the couch, but no Tara.

"Baby?"

She saw the bathroom door was open, so she wandered in. The basin was sitting in the sink, not as empty as it had been when she left, and Tara was sitting with her knees up in some hot water in the bath.

"Baby…" Willow said, coming over to kneel next to the tub, "Why didn't you call me?"

"You don't have to deal with this," Tara replied, pale and with goosebumps on her arms from shivering.

She'd also sort of forgotten when or where Willow had gone at all.

Willow patted Tara's hair, then got up and cleaned out the basin as it was starting to smell. She washed her hands thoroughly, then came back to the tub with a washcloth and started to gently wash Tara's arms and legs.

"There's the last of the mystery gone," Tara commented.

"Who wants mystery?" Willow asked as the cloth glided down Tara's collarbone, "I want to know everything about you."

Tara grimaced.

"Even the contents of my stomach?"

"It's not top of the list, but I can deal, especially if I can make you feel better," Willow replied sweetly, "You feel lousy, don't make yourself feel lousier by hating yourself."

Tara looked up and met Willow's eye.

"That's good advice."

Willow felt that penetrating stare in a deep place inside her. She knew she could be guilty of the self-hatred herself and it was another thing to add to her 'must improve on' list. The list was growing bigger, but she was also striking things off it, too. Even with so much up in the air, she felt more balanced than she ever had in her life before.

Her brow relaxed, she smiled softly and wiped down Tara's shoulders.

"Yeah, it is."

She let the cloth wash Tara's back, then wrung it out and left it on the side to dry. She leaned in to peck Tara's lips, but she turned at the last minute so Willow got cheek instead.

"You'll catch it," Tara said, covering her hand with her mouth.

"Don't worry, I don't get sick," Willow replied, getting a towel and wrapping it around Tara as she stepped out.

She dried Tara off and brought her into the bedroom, tucking her in under the clean, crisp sheets.

"Do you want to keep your clothes off?" Willow asked.

Tara nodded.

"Sometimes I get so hot."

"You gotta keep taking the Tylenol," Willow replied, sitting down beside Tara and taking her hand, "Don't suppose I can interest you in that soup yet?"

Tara reluctantly shook her head.

"I can't even bear thinking about it."

"That's okay, we'll just try a little more juice in a bit," Willow advised, "Want me to bring my laptop in here and put something on for you to watch?"

"Okay," Tara agreed, clearly more together after her bath, "Will you stay with me?"

"Of _course_ I will," Willow replied, running out quickly and coming back with her laptop, "You never have to ask me that twice."

She got in the other side and launched the folder with her video files.

"Was Becky here?" Tara asked, resting her arms above the sheets.

Willow cast a sidelong glance in Tara's direction.

"You really were out of it."

 _Thankfully._

Tara still seemed a bit light-headed, if more lucid.

"How was her first day?"

"Good, she says," Willow replied easily, "Well, good for her. I think she likes it more than she's letting on. She said to feel better and thanks for all the help. Want to watch D.E.B.S?"

Tara grinned and nodded. Willow grinned back, shaking her head.

"Like I even need to ask. You have such a crush on Lucy. I bet you'd love to get your hands on her diamond."

"You have a crush on Amy," Tara countered.

"What can I say, I'm drawn to the artists," Willow replied wryly.

Tara shuffled closer to Willow for comfort.

"I don't know what I'd do without you to take care of me."

Willow rested the laptop between them and snuggled down with Tara.

"You don't have to worry about it."

She pressed her lips to Tara's cheek, then nuzzled her nose there.

"Because I'll be here. Always."


	9. Chapter 9

**FivebyFive89** – Glad you got a chuckle :P

 **gg** – That she is!

 **billy** – Tara is definitely lucky :)

* * *

Willow came back from the kitchen carrying two glasses of wine.

"I didn't think I'd be this anxious, but I can barely stand it."

"I know, me too," Tara agreed, taking the glass offered to her then looking curiously at Willow as she sat down next to her on the couch, "Are you drinking wine?"

Willow clinked her small glass against Tara's. Her glass was only half full, a little more than a mouthful or two, and the first she'd had since their very first night in the apartment, but she was trying for more mature tastes.

"I'm hoping tonight is the start of new things, so I'm starting as I mean to go on."

Tara held up her glass in a salute.

"Here, here."

They both took a sip and moved together again to cuddle. Tara tucked herself under Willow's arm.

"I haven't felt this sick since I had that stomach flu."

Willow shuddered.

"Four days I'd rather forget!"

Tara wasn't keen on reliving it either.

"Don't worry, it's just butterflies this time…bat-shaped ones. Look, I'm keeping down liquids and everything."

She swilled her wine with a wicked smirk, which Willow could only grin at.

Their eyes returned to the TV screen, where they stayed glued as they watched the news anchors and scrolling news bar. They were mostly silent and watching the events play out, until finally they heard the words they'd been waiting to hear all night.

"Barack Obama is projected to be the next president of the United States of America."

Willow startled and nearly dropped her, thankfully empty, wine glass.

"Oh my god."

"He won?" Tara asked, shocked and awed, "He actually won."

"He won!" Willow shrieked, throwing her arms up, then around Tara.

She kissed the top of Tara's head, who started to laugh with joy. They shared a celebratory kiss, which began to linger. Willow held Tara's face softly in her hands.

"This is the start of a new America…I feel it."

"We can tell our grandchildren we voted for him," Tara replied, smiling from ear to ear, "That we shared this historic moment."

Willow nodded.

"Proudly so."

They hugged again and were settling back to wait for the victory speech when there was a sudden knocking at the door.

Willow glanced towards it.

"Who the hell is that this late?"

Tara looked pained.

"If it's the guy from across the hall, just say we're already sleeping."

Willow set the speech to record and made her way over to the door to answer it.

"I don't want him thinking about us doing anything in bed, even sleeping. I'll say we're on our way out to a celebratory party. An exclusive one."

She opened the door warily, but instead of being greeted by their greasy neighbour's leer, Becky was crumbled against the doorframe, blubbering and with red eyes.

"Whoa," Willow commented, eyes widening, "Becky, what's wrong?"

Tara looked over and quickly left her wine glass down on the coffee table. She jumped up and took over, guiding Becky inside. She brought her over to couch and indicated for Willow to get a glass of water. While Willow was fetching with it, Becky grabbed Tara's three-quarters full glass of wine and downed it in one go.

Willow scrunched her nose but didn't say anything and sat on Becky's other side, leaving the water nearby for her to drink if she wanted. Before Willow could ask what was wrong, Becky's head dropped into her hands and she began to sob even louder.

"J-Jack and I broke up."

Willow and Tara both immediately put a hand on her back, one over the other. They rubbed in opposite directions.

"I'm so sorry Becky," Tara soothed.

Becky continued to cry and Tara went off to get her some tissues.

Becky wiped herself up and slowed to sniffling, though her eyes remained creased and full of hurt.

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" Willow prompted gently.

Becky tried several times to take in a full breath before breaking down again.

"Th-the big idiot proposed!"

"Eek," Willow replied, while Tara nodded sympathetically.

"You weren't expecting that."

Becky swiped her tissue under her nose angrily.

"We were out for dinner and he was jumpy all night. I thought he was freaking out about the election! Then he just whips this ring out, in front of everybody."

Her fists clenched and released, fingers splaying in a gesture of disbelief.

"What was he thinking?!"

"Have you ever told him you don't want to get married?" Willow broached cautiously, "I mean, just… you told me you told him you wanted to be together forever…maybe he thought this was what you wanted."

Becky's face strained.

"Well…I told him tonight!" she spat, suddenly standing to pace, "He opened Pandora's Box and now we can't close it again. He suddenly starts gushing on about being a family and having kids…not right now, he says. Not ever, I say!"

Her jaw released its clench and her eyes crumbled all over again.

"He says he wants what his parents had. I said I _don't_ want what my parents had."

She flopped back into her seat, elbows on knees and chin on her fists. Tara rubbed Becky's shoulder and top of her back, just offering whatever physical comfort she could.

"Oh Becky…"

Tara's motherly energy broke the last bit of resolve in Becky and she started to sob.

"I-I didn't know where to go…"

"You came to the right place," Tara reassured.

Willow nodded.

"Yeah, you can stay with us as long as you need to," she said, then made a motion towards the couch opposite, "Seriously, the couch pulls out and we're happy to have you."

Becky leaned in against Willow, then over to Tara.

"Thank you guys. I just…I can't believe…I love him so much! What is _wrong_ with him?!"

She broke down again and became unintelligible with her sobbing. She wore through a whole box of tissues and the rest of the bottle of wine, pouring and drinking entire glasses in one gulp when she came up for air.

Eventually she just curled up into a sad ball with her head in Tara's lap. Tara nodded for Willow to make up the sofa bed. Willow made a face, then grudgingly went to do it. Tara stroked Becky's hair and guided her over to the bed when she was ready, taking off her shoes and tucking her in.

"It'll be okay," she said softly as she settled the blanket.

Becky stared ahead despondently.

"How can it be okay? He's my whole world. My world is…gone."

Tara rubbed Becky's arm and kissed her forehead affectionately. She waited until Becky quietened and said her goodnights, then went into the bathroom to wash her face. She sighed, feeling Becky's sadness.

It was her worst nightmare that she'd find hers and Willow's relationship ripped from under her.

She patted her face dry and brushed her teeth before walking into the bedroom where Willow was sitting on the bed in her pyjamas, checking her phone.

"I got a text from Jack. Just asking if she's here."

"Just say yes she's safe," Tara replied as she took out her own sleeping clothes, "Don't get involved past that – it's best for everyone."

Willow nodded and quickly sent the response then laid down and sighed deeply.

"Phew. What a mess."

Tara sat on the corner of the mattress as she changed.

"Poor Becky. She really loves him."

Willow held up her hands in exasperation of the whole situation.

"And he really loves her…it seems so…heart breaking that loving her _too_ much is their downfall."

Tara slid in beside Willow and turned on her side to face her.

"I don't think that's fair. Becky's love shouldn't be called into question because she doesn't want to get married. It's a fair choice for someone to make, and if they're at ends about it, then it was never going to work."

"But she's just running scared because of her parents' shitty attitudes towards marriage," Willow argued, "She's going to give up the best relationship she's ever been in for it. I kinda want to slap her."

"Willow," Tara warned gently, "She's so sure of her own convictions that she's willing to let him go so that they can both be happy. Do you honestly think one of them acquiescing on an issue this big wouldn't lead to extreme resentment? That's not even getting into the kids part. Becky doesn't want them, Jack does. Jack deserves the life he wants and Becky deserves the life she wants. But yes, it is so, so sad that on this subject they're at odds. Unfortunately it's one of the only things in a relationship you can't compromise on."

Willow's eyes gently creased. She knew Tara was right, as much as she'd like some perspective to make Becky change her mind. But perspective was only helpful if it didn't harm you in the process.

She sighed again, then she reached out to touch Tara's cheek.

"Just checking in…we still on the same page with this stuff?"

Tara turned her head in to kiss Willow's palm.

"I'll say yes the second you propose."

"How come I have to do the asking?" Willow asked with a small grin.

"Because you told me once when you were a little girl you dreamed of proposing to your princess," Tara answered, matching her smile.

Willow leaned in and kissed Tara softly.

"Good answer, princess."

They nuzzled noses and Willow felt extremely grateful to have Tara there to confide in and de-stress with.

"Some night, huh? Half the country is celebrating; half are raging…and Becky's sleeping on our couch just about desolate."

Tara nudged Willow's cheek with her nose.

"Go lie with her."

"Huh?" Willow asked, confused.

"She needs you," Tara replied, "She feels all alone. Go lie with her."

Willow didn't want to leave Tara's cosy embrace but she didn't want to be selfish either.

"…okay."

She gave Tara a last, lingering kiss and went back out to the living space, knocking the light in the lamp on as she passed. She quietly laid down on the sofa bed behind Becky and semi-spooned her.

Becky just sniffled.

"Tara will miss you."

Willow delicately brushed her fingertips against Becky's arm.

"She sent me out here."

Becky cast a hint of a smile into the darkness.

"'Course she did."

There was silence for a few moments until Becky turned on her other side so she was facing Willow. She put one hand on top of the other on the pillow and leaned her head on them.

"I keep asking myself if I could do it. If I could be his wife," she said, her mouth staying open as if trying to conjure the words, "I can't. I just can't. It's not just that I don't want to, I _can't_. It's not in me. It's like asking you to never pick up a computer again. It goes against everything that's in you."

"You're allowed to feel that," Willow reassured gently, "Look, Tara wants to be a mother some day and it's something, like you said, that's just in her. It's deep-down, innate. Part of her core being. If I couldn't be her co-parent, I'd have to let her go too. It's too important. One or both of us would end up bitter, not to mention if a child did get involved. It's not fair to anyone, even though it fucking sucks."

Becky shook her head into the pillow angrily.

"It does fucking suck," she said with clenched teeth, "Why did he have to do it now? We could have gone another year, or more without this coming up. Been happy. We were happy."

Willow sighed.

"It wouldn't be fair," she repeated.

"Why not?" Becky asked in a distressed tone, "We're young. So maybe it wouldn't have been forever…but it could've been for a chunk of it. It didn't have to end so soon."

Willow didn't have the answer but her logical brain sought them out anyway.

"Well, from your conversation it sounds like he was at this point and you're not. It's a crossroads. It's a super sucky shitty crossroads, but you're just going in different directions. It's better to go now with the good memories than wait until it turns sour."

Becky wiped her nose on the pillow and Willow made a mental note to wash it. Becky heart felt constricted and she brought a hand up to brush away tears falling from her eyes.

"Do you think Tara will make out with me to make me feel better?" she deflected with her usual humour, although through a shaken voice.

Willow's lips quirked upwards just for a second.

She knew in that moment that no matter how many days, weeks or months it took for Becky to get over Jack; that she would come out the other side as the strong woman Willow had always known.

"No way. She likes calling me her one and only too much."

"For kissing?" Becky asked, the surprise quelling the tears, "You're the only person she's _kissed_?"

Willow nodded.

"Yeah."

"How do you know if you're objectively a good kisser if she has no one to compare it to?" Becky questioned, almost challengingly.

Willow shrugged one shoulder.

"I don't care about objectivity, I care about Tarativity. It only matters if I'm a good kisser to her."

"Doesn't it scare you to think she'll be the only person you've been with your whole life?" Becky asked, genuinely instead of her normal tease.

"It thrills me," Willow replied, her eyes flashing with that passion for a moment, "Quality is better than quantity."

Becky recognised that passion as one that was burning out in herself.

"I really let myself fall this time. I let myself believe I might have a forever."

"You will have a forever," Willow replied surely, "With someone who wants the same one as you. I believe in you."

Becky looked down forlornly.

"I forgot what it's like to be alone."

Willow put her arms around Becky and pulled her into a hug.

"You're not alone."

Becky started to cry again into Willow's shoulder; silent, sorrowful sobs.

Willow just stayed there to be a comfort, ready to live up to her promise and make sure her friend felt as little loneliness as possible. 

* * *

Tara wandered towards the kitchen from the bedroom, stifling a yawn along the way.

She'd barely woken up, straight into one of those mornings that just demanded a coffee. She'd come from bed as she was, in a tank top and underwear and had small goosebumps on her legs from the chill in the air. She wouldn't get away with such flimsy pjs as the winter advanced but she liked to rub her legs against Willow's as they slept.

She was ready to turn into the kitchen when a voice cracked from a few feet away.

"Nice panties."

Tara nearly leapt out of her skin and flung her head around to see Becky sitting up on the sofa bed with a grin on her face. In her dozy state Tara had completely forgotten about their houseguest, even after having her for the few days since 'that night'.

She squealed and reached for the nearest thing – the empty coffee pot – to hide the front of her underwear and pulled at the hem of her tank to stay as modest as possible.

After a moment, Willow came toddling out in her robe, rubbing her eyes and confused.

"What's going on?"

"I was admiring Tara's panties," Becky replied casually, "Hey 'foxy' lady."

Tara turned crimson in reference to the lettering across her ass and kept her gaze anywhere but on either of their faces.

Willow took a moment, but finally realised from Tara's crouching position what was going on. She grabbed a sweatshirt hanging over a chair and rushed over with it for her.

Tara wrapped it around herself and made a beeline for the bedroom again, slamming the door behind her. Willow cast Becky a long glare, who held her hands up defensively.

"What? They were cute."

Willow grumbled but didn't chastise her any more. Becky had ended up taking sick days to cover the rest of the week as she slumped into her post break-up depression and those few minutes were the most jovial Willow had seen her since.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; give a Becky an opportunity to tease and she won't let you forget it for the rest of your life!" she retorted instead as she took the coffee pot that had been shoved into her hands and began to fill it, "I would ask you to quit it, but I've been asking that for as long as I've known you."

Becky came over, holding the pizza box from the night before and eating one of the leftover slices.

"'on't 'ate the play-yer, 'ate the game," she said, before swallowing, "I still haven't told her I saw her ass, I get credit for that. You can't expect me to pass up every 'foxy' opportunity that's presented to me."

Willow cast Becky a withering sidelong glance, then got down three cups and poured the coffee into each.

"You sleep well?" she asked, briefly eyeing Becky's demeanour.

Becky shrugged a shoulder.

"Yeah, actually," she said, leaving the box down on the countertop and lifting herself up to sit beside it, "First night I didn't wake up trying to cuddle him."

Willow added the cream and sugar for Becky and herself and left Tara to add her own. She gave Becky a cup and leaned back against the cabinets.

"That's something."

"Yeah…" Becky replied, then sighed, "Except then I woke up to this."

She produced her phone from her pocket and held it out to Willow. Willow read the screen, a text from Jack saying her things were packed and ready for her to collect.

Willow looked at Becky sympathetically.

"Guess he's stopped with the begging and pleading texts then."

Becky slumped on the spot.

"That's it. He's accepted it. All my stuff will be gone and we will be officially, 100% broken up."

Willow reached out for a comforting arm rub, the best she could offer. There were little more words she could say that hadn't been said.

Becky stared at the text, then hid her phone away.

"I can't do it."

"All your stuff, Beck," Willow replied, confused.

"I'll get new stuff," Becky replied flippantly, then looked at Willow vulnerably, "I can't see his face. I'll die. I'll just die."

Willow squeezed her hand on Becky's arm.

"Do you want us to go?"

"Go where?" Tara's voice popped up as she came into the kitchen, fully dressed and clearly intending to pretend nothing had happened.

"To collect Becky's things," Willow replied, nodding to Tara's coffee to show her it was hers, "If she wants us to."

"Would you?" Becky asked, slightly helpless.

"Of course," Willow replied surely, "Won't we baby?"

Tara held her mug between two hands and inhaled the steam softly.

"Yes, of course."

"Thanks guys," Becky replied genuinely, although flatly at the morose thoughts that continued to plague her mind.

"You gonna wash your hair today?" Willow asked delicately.

Becky twirled the ends of her wild mane between two fingers. She knew she'd probably built up a funk it showed Willow and Tara's kindness that they hadn't mentioned it.

"Guess it could use a shampooing."

"It'll make you feel better to get up and get dressed," Tara encouraged, "We can all go for a picnic in the afternoon. It's cold but the sun is out. Nothing some hot coffee in our hands won't fix."

Becky was truly touched by the support she'd been offered by her friends. She offered a weak, but not unforced smile and jumped down from the counter to head into the bathroom.

She stopped by the linen closet to get the towel Tara had told her was there days ago. On top, was her freshly laundered clothes from the night she'd first come to them, as well as various spares from both Willow's and Tara's closet that were deemed to fit her.

She smiled at the gesture and grabbed a pair of jeans from Willow's collection and plain blouse from Tara's. She was grateful she hadn't been forced into wearing a fuzzy sweater or multi-coloured skirt and especially not to have to get back into that special dress she'd bought for the night that had changed everything.

She was quiet as she came back into the living after showering, leaving pyjamas she'd borrowed folded on the arm of the couch to wear again that night She glanced into the kitchen and saw Willow, now dressed, trying to reach into a top cabinet with Tara standing beside her.

"Where is it?" Willow asked, her hand patting along a top shelf.

"Up there," Tara replied, pointing at the same spot.

Willow retracted her arm.

"I can't reach."

"Keep trying," Tara encouraged.

Willow stepped onto her tiptoes and while she was peering into the cabinet, Tara snuck a hand around and grabbed her ass.

Becky's eyebrows momentarily shot up. That was a side to Tara she'd never seen. She had to grin though, her suspicions of Tara being a bit of a wildcat were proving true the longer she got to know her.

Willow finally reached the flour and brought it down. Tara took it off her and turned to a bowl she already had out. She spotted Becky over the breakfast bar.

"Becky, do you want pancakes?"

"Tara makes the best pancakes," Willow added as she handed Tara eggs and milk from the fridge.

"Sure, thanks," Becky replied with a nod, "I haven't had pancakes since I was a kid."

She started to fold away her sofa bed and Willow came over to help with the lug. Tara whipped up her batter and got the skillet warming on the burner.

"Funny shapes or rounds?"

"Rounds," Willow answered, "I'm in the mood to roll."

Tara made a stack of round pancakes while Willow set the table with silverware, butter and maple syrup. Tara served up a big plate of the pancakes and everyone sat down to eat.

"Wow, these are good," Becky complimented as she cut a square and dipped in a pool of syrup, "Thanks Tara."

"You're welcome," Tara replied modestly.

Willow was gulping down her pancakes but eventually came up for a glug of orange juice.

"So can I drive your car over?" she asked Becky, who recoiled in horror at the thought of anyone else behind the wheel of her baby.

"No!"

"We can't carry all your stuff on the T!" Willow protested.

"I'll pay for cabs," Becky mumbled, going into a sulk.

Willow started to roll her eyes, but stopped halfway when Tara put a hand on her knee and gave her a look. Willow nodded to say she got it.

"That's fine, Beck. No problem."

They ate in silence and Becky offered, or rather quite demanded to do the dishes. Tara understood it gave her something to do and just thanked her quietly. Willow patted her on the back and then she and Tara went off to gather their things and set off for what was now just Jack's apartment.

"Let's walk," Tara suggested, even though Becky had offered enough cash to get them there and back, "Save her some bucks."

Willow had been ready to hail a cab and dropped her hand guiltily.

"You're a good person," she said, slipping that hand into Tara's, "Better one than me."

Tara swooped in with a cheek kiss.

"That's not true. You're the best person I know."

Willow blushed and smiled, then swung Tara's hand.

"It's nice to be couple-y. Been trying to pull back on it so we're not shoving it in Becky's face."

"I know, I've felt a bit awkward about it all," Tara replied, "At least she got dressed today and hopefully she'll come out with us later."

"You're so sweet to suggest a picnic," Willow said, smiling adoringly, "We should get all her favourites. Steak and cheese sub, Reese's Pieces, sweet tea."

Tara lifted an eyebrow.

"Those sound like all your favourites. Add Cheetos and it's a bingo."

"She does love Cheetos," Willow replied with a grin, "Hey, we bonded over a love for junk food and books and I already loaned her my kindle. It's cliché, but it works."

They arrived at the building a little under twenty minutes later and both felt a sadness as the elevator climbed to the seventh floor. Tara stepped out first and offered her hand to Willow, who gratefully took it and squeezed.

They knocked on the right door and there were footsteps on the other side, then silence. Willow looked at Tara, then the door and was about to knock again, when it opened.

Jack looked worn out, his eyes creased in sorrow and his mouth thin with worry. He looked dejected when he saw who was there.

"She couldn't face me herself?"

"She's doing her best," Willow replied evenly.

Jack just withered away and left the door open.

"Her stuff is in the bedroom."

Willow went right in there, while Tara closed the door again behind them. She hesitated about where to go for a moment, then her nurturing instinct brought her over to Jack, who was in the kitchen area with his palms on the counter and head hanging down.

Tara put a comforting hand on his back and it only took him a second to crumble. He immediately turned away and made clumsy wipes at his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tara."

"You don't need to apologise," Tara replied softly, "It's a very upsetting situation."

Jack shook his head, his brow wrinkling into the permanent crease that had been there since Becky walked out.

"I really thought we would be celebrating our engagement. I never knew she was so bitter."

Tara grimaced at that; she was glad neither Becky nor Willow had heard it.

"It's not a bitterness, it's just…how it is. It's not an arrangement that she wants to be in."

Jack folded his arms across his chest, tightly.

"Well maybe it could not be for me either. I mean, it's just a piece of paper, isn't it? She's more important than a piece of paper. I don't need it. I don't need a wife and…kids aren't that important."

Tara rubbed his arm.

"I don't think you believe that."

Jack's eyes grew glassy again.

"How can the right thing be us apart?"

"Because of all you've gained by being together," Tara replied, trying to impart some kind of support, "With these circumstances, there was always going to be an end…but that doesn't have to take away from everything you had."

Jack wiped at his eyes and again turned away.

"I'm sorry," he echoed again, out of ways to reason himself out of the break-up.

"Have you got friends you can call?" Tara asked, not sure she could, in good conscience, leave him like this.

Jack nodded, chin going right into his chest.

"The guys are coming over later for the football game."

Tara nodded back, glad he would have his pals around.

"You didn't do anything wrong. She didn't do anything wrong. This is just how it is," she comforted, "I told her I wouldn't say anything, but you know what she said amidst all the crying?"

Jack met her eye and waited for her to respond.

"He'll be the best husband and father to somebody…but that somebody just can't be me."

"She said that?" Jack asked with an obvious lump in his throat.

"Yes," Willow's voice came from the bedroom doorway as she carried out two suitcases, then she glanced to Tara, "And I won't tell you told."

Tara slinked away, sensing she'd said enough. Jack carried himself a little easier and his posture moved from slumped to straightened.

"Tell Rebecca I said…" he started, then took a moment to keep his voice steady, "Tell her I said 'Go-saeng Ggeut-eh naki eun-da'.

Willow blinked several times.

"Um, one more time?"

"I got it," Tara interjected, picking up a medium sized box with a smaller box on top in her arms, "Good luck, Jack."

"Bye, Jack," Willow added, carrying the suitcases out of the door she'd opened, then pulling it closed again once Tara was out too.

There was a slightly hollow echoing goodbye as the door closed and Willow had to tense and release some muscles to get the tension in the air out of her body.

"Damn," she said, blowing out a long puff of air, "You got that gobbledegook?"

"It's obviously Korean," Tara replied, taking in even breaths to calm the empathetic sorrow she felt, "I'm always liked foreign languages. I hear it lyrically in my mind, so it's easy to remember."

They walked into the elevator and Willow pressed the button for the lobby. They were both silent until about the second floor when Willow spoke up.

"He was really cut up."

"Wouldn't you be?" Tara asking, looking sideways at Willow.

Willow momentarily leaned her head against Tara's shoulder.

"Unhealable."

Tara leaned her head down to touch Willow's, then turned in to kiss her parting. The elevator doors sprung open and they carried everything onto the curb to hail a cab.

It was a short, silent ride home, though they both held hands and didn't break until they absolutely had to, to carry everything upstairs.

Willow cursed Becky's name as she lugged her clothes up the stairs and Tara sneakily trailed behind to check out Willow's ass. She felt awful about everything, but that wiggle could cure the toughest of emotional turmoil.

Becky had heard the heavy footsteps, so had the door open and waiting for them, though she looked fretful.

"It went okay?" she asked, searching both of their faces for immediate answers as they passed through.

Willow nodded.

"Yeah, we got everything."

Becky closed the door behind them and leaned back against it. Her palms pressed together in front of her, then slipped away from sweat.

"How was he?"

Willow set down the suitcases, put her hands on her hips and nodded once.

"I think that… he's gonna be okay."

A flurry of emotions passed Becky's face, but it finally settled on relief.

"Good. Good. That's…good."

"He said to say something," Willow replied, then looked to Tara to continue, "Uh…"

Tara listened to the lyric she'd made in her head, then turned in back into regular speech.

"Go-saeng Ggeut-eh naki eun-da."

Becky floated over to the sofa and sat crossed-legged on it, holding a cushion to her chest.

She finally smiled.

"It's something his mom says. It means 'at the end of hardship comes happiness'," she said, her eyes cast back in happy memories for a moment before she sat back and sighed, "Damn, I'm gonna miss her kimchi. They celebrate Canadian thanksgiving because of his Dad, but we were going to spend the long weekend with them anyway."

"You can have Thanksgiving with us," Willow said, sitting in beside her while Tara sandwiched her on the other side.

"Thanks guys," Becky replied, squeezing the cushion closer to her, "Guess I have to figure out a whole new life now."

"You gonna go back to work on Monday?" Willow asked.

Becky nodded.

"Yeah. Have to start facing up to the world."

Her lip started to tremble and eyes glassed over.

"Have to face up to life without him."

She pressed her face down into the pillow and started to cry silently. Both Tara and Willow wrapped arms around her and offered comfort.

Becky cried and cried, letting out the emotion until she started to break through with laughter, growing more and more hysterical.

Both Willow and Tara shared concerned looks, but Becky finally came up for breath, grinning from ear to ear.

"I-I…I just realised…I just realised…that…that… "

Becky clutched her stomach to speak through the laughter.

"If we'd gotten married…my name would have been Becky Boop!"

She threw her head back and laughed raucously, making Willow giggle and even Tara titter a tad. Becky threw an arm around each of them and pulled them in close to her, feeling her spirits at their highest in days.

It wasn't the end of the road, but she wasn't walking it alone.

"With friends like you…I think I might just be okay too."


	10. Chapter 10

**gg** – Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)

 **jaiden83** – Once they've mastered teleportation, I will send you that burger with fries as interest! Poor Becky has to go through the emotional ups and downs of relationships, but she's a survivor.

* * *

Willow held her hands over her stomach and looked down at it longingly.

"I'm starving."

Tara glanced over her shoulder, to the bed, from where she was getting changed into pyjamas by the dresser.

"Why didn't you get a snack before bed?"

Willow rolled back and forth on the mattress, clutching her stomach like a dramatic child denied dessert.

"It just came over me," she explained, then threw her legs over the bed, "I'm gonna go get something."

Tara shook her head as she pulled a top over her front.

"No, you're not. Becky went to bed."

"But I'm hungry!" Willow whined.

"Eat one of your emergency candy bars," Tara suggested as she got into bed, then rolled her eyes when she saw the resulting look on Willow's face, "I'll replace it."

Willow considered that and decided it reasonable, so she pulled open the middle drawer of her nightstand and dipped into her stash. She snapped an almond joy in half and began to nibble the chocolate off.

Tara settled her head back on the pillow and pulled the blanket up to her chin so she was warm. Her head turned on the pillow so her cheek was softly cushioned and she watched Willow eat her candy bar. Her hand snuck out and delicately brushed away a wayward speck of chocolate from the corner of Willow's mouth.

"You're sexy when you nibble."

Willow glanced down as Tara's finger fell away, then up into Tara's eye.

She knew that look.

She quickly shoved the rest of the chocolate in her mouth and rolled over on top of Tara. She tried to kiss her with some chocolate still left in her mouth, and ended up spluttering and coughing to get it down. Tara rubbed her back and scrunched her nose a little bit.

"Okay, choking is less sexy."

Willow chewed really hard to get it all down and finally had one last, big swallow.

"Done!" she announced triumphantly, before adding on more sheepishly, "Done."

Tara opened her arms again and Willow retook her spot on top. She pressed her lips against Tara's, softly at first.

As it deepened, Willow slid her hand under Tara's top, rubbed her belly, then reached up to cup a breast.

Tara lifted her newly put on pyjama top back over her head, sitting up in the process. She flipped Willow over and dropped to press kisses in and around her bellybutton, pushing up the fabric of her girlfriend's top for access.

Willow closed her eyes and stroked Tara's hair, feeling bursts of desire between her legs with each press of Tara's lips. She quickly unbuttoned the top and twisted out of the long sleeves.

Tara went with the twisting, curving her lips along Willow's torso and up to her breasts. Her tongue fell out of her mouth and rolled against Willow's nipples, pebbling the skin around them.

Willow bounced back onto the mattress and grabbed Tara's cheeks, pulling her up to kiss. Tara's leg slid between Willow's, her thigh pressing into the seam of her girlfriend's pants. Willow's moan followed her tongue into Tara's mouth and her hips lifted to take control of the movement of Tara's sliding thigh. Her hands fell from the cheeks on Tara's face to the cheeks of her rear for a quick grab'n'squeeze before making a pull for the pyjama bottoms.

Tara shimmied until the pants were at her ankles and she could slip out of the rest of them. Willow's hands roamed the length of Tara's naked body, starting at the back of her thighs, over the curve of her ass and up along her spine.

Tara moved off to lie by Willow's side, tucking herself in closely and dropping her head into Willow's neck. She pressed kisses against Willow's skin and drew circles around her bellybutton.

Slowly her hand crept up to Willow's breasts, molding their softness to her palm and rubbing her stiff nipples against her thumb.

Willow's eyelids fluttered closed as Tara's palm started to sail down her abdomen and into her pants. She gasped as Tara's fingers slid over her clit; her teeth indenting her bottom lip when they passed her slick opening and slipped inside.

She whimpered when they slid back up to her clit and squirmed on the spot. She groaned, loudly and was met with a teeth nip under her ear.

"Sshh."

"Make me," Willow retorted, her hips lifting right off the bed and back down again.

Tara scooted down and had Willow bend her knees up so she could divest her of the pyjama pants. She held Willow's ankles at her shoulders , turned her thighs outwards for access and reached down to enter her again.

When Willow's legs fell down, Tara shifted her weight on top and took Willow's lips to silence her sudden, piercing moans.

Willow's inner muscles clamped around Tara's fingers and her mouth dropped open to welcome Tara's tongue. Her hands cupped the back of Tara's head and pulled her as close as possible.

Her hips rolled with Tara's hand, gathering momentum as the fire burning in her belly lapped at her insides and begged to be released. Her movements became insistent, then demanding and Tara gave her what she wanted; rubbing her clit while coaxing the heat from inside.

Tara swallowed Willow's guttural moan as she came, feeling the gasping breath on her lips as her fingers were engulfed by Willow's excitement.

Willow slowly detached from Tara's mouth, popping off and crumbling back into the sheets.

Tara dragged her hand away and kissed Willow's heaving chest as she caught her breath.

Eventually she felt Willow's finger under her chin, lifting her so their mouths met softly. After a minute or two, there was a firm tug on her hips.

Tara pulled away from Willow's mouth gradually, only breaking the kiss at the last possible moment. She sat back so she was straddling Willow, legs spread wide at the knee so she was as exposed as she could be.

Willow licked her lips and drew patterns on Tara's thighs to entice them both. She dipped her index finger into Tara's wetness and dragged it upwards until the pad hit Tara's clit. Tara's head lolled back and a very soft moan passed her lips.

Willow rubbed there until Tara was as wet as she wanted her, then entered her fully. She watched Tara's jaw quiver and twisted her fingers in a particular motion that Tara usually went crazy for.

A keen sound left Tara's mouth and she grabbed Willow's wrist.

"No, don't do that."

Willow immediately stalled.

"I thought you liked that."

Tara nodded.

"I do. Too much."

Willow was utterly confused but finally realisation dawned.

"Are you making yourself be quiet so you don't wake Becky up?"

Tara winced.

"Please don't mention another woman's name while you're inside me."

"You're the one thinking about her!" Willow retorted, quite loud.

Tara sighed and moved off Willow, sitting on the side of the bed and tying her hair up.

"What, that's it?" Willow asked, clearly annoyed.

"Can you keep your voice down?" Tara asked calmly.

"God forbid I make any noise in or move around my own apartment," Willow sneered.

"I'm just trying to be considerate," Tara replied, reaching behind to put her hand on Willow's arm.

Willow shrugged her off.

"And you considered your way right off of me."

Tara tightened her ponytail and laid down with her back to Willow.

"I'm not in the mood anymore."

Willow turned in the opposite direction and snapped her lamp off.

"Yeah, well that makes two of us."

* * *

Tara came out of the bathroom, fully dressed and almost ready to head out for work.

She'd gotten ready in the cramped space to avoid any confrontation by waking Willow and was frustrated from continuously bumping into things.

Becky was up too, though her bed space was a mess, as it had been every morning since she'd been staying with them.

"Morning Tara," Becky greeted, stirring sugar into her coffee.

"Good morning, Becky," Tara replied curtly as she pulled open the fridge and reached for the orange juice.

A quick shake told her it had less than a drop in it. She dropped it in the trash with a sigh but said nothing; it could have been either Becky or Willow equally who made that transgression.

Becky flinched as she saw the aggressive toss. She was innocent of this one, but something told her she was wise not to bring it up. She had heard the brief raised voices the night before but it had simmered down so quickly she had hoped it wasn't a 'thing'. Tara's attitude was telling her otherwise.

It took her a moment to realise Tara was staring at her and she blinked into focus.

"Sorry?"

"Do you like acapulco chicken?" Tara asked, flatly though not aggravated, "I'm marinating some in spices for tonight but I can leave yours plain."

Becky got the feeling a fun, friendly dinner was not on the cards.

"You know, I have a thing at the school. I'll be late," she covered, quickly downing her coffee, "But don't worry, I'll be quiet."

Tara nodded as she rubbed the chicken breasts.

"Okay, well you can take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow if you want."

Becky offered a smile; only Tara could still be so kind in the midst of the sullen atmosphere around them.

"Thanks Tara," she said, going over to kick her sofa bed into hiding, having seen the weary look Tara gave it upon passing.

She put her messenger bag over her chest and picked up her car keys from their spot.

"Have a good day."

"You too," Tara replied tiredly, washing her hands in the sink.

Becky left, closing the door with a click behind her. Moments later, Willow crept out from the bedroom wearing her robe.

She paused, mid-tie, when she saw Tara was still standing there.

Tara noticed.

"Wrong move; the person you wanted to leave, didn't."

Willow's face scrunched up in anger.

"Oh, bite me, Tara," she snapped, before marching into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

Tara's eyelids flickered as the vibrations shook the floor. She shoved the chicken back in the fridge and forwent breakfast, not feeling much like eating anyway.

She grabbed a couple of granola bars and some fruit to shove in her purse, then left to catch an early T. She got into work before almost anyone else and got stuck into case reports. The mindless monotony did a good job of taking her mind of things, but not enough. She spent the morning in a dreary mood, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Is something up?" Alice asked, a concerned hand on Tara's back, "You keep checking your phone."

Tara cleared her throat and straightened up in her chair.

"Sorry."

Tara only made passing remarks about her home life in the office and Alice often dominated the conversation if they shared a glass of wine. Alice seemed to recognise the actions of a lovelorn friend.

"Relationship troubles?"

Tara nodded; eyes fixed on the screen, embarrassed.

"Yeah. Just one of those fights."

Alice patted Tara's shoulder.

"It'll blow over. You'll go home and make up."

"I hope so," Tara replied, trying to keep the upset tone out of her voice.

"I'm sure of it," Alice replied with confidence.

Alice's optimism rubbed off on Tara, who finally smiled and made a plan to go home without the animosity. She had home visits the whole afternoon and had a lucky day where nothing horrible was unveiled. She was able to give a positive report in family court before meeting a sweet little boy for an assessment for adoption.

On her way home, she decided to use her magazine money to buy Willow some flowers. She stopped at a small, local boutique place and arranged a bouquet of roses with the florist. She could only afford a half-dozen, but they were wrapped nicely in tissue with a little bow.

She'd only pushed her nose in the door when Willow was rushing up, poking a stick in her face.

"It's an olive branch," Willow explained quickly, then added on sheepishly, "Okay, it's a twig from outside, but the symbolism is there."

Tara rounded the door fully and held her flowers earnestly with both hands. Willow smiled softly and put the twig down.

"Well they're a lot prettier than mine."

Tara turned the multi-coloured bunch around so Willow got a look at each colour.

"Pink for happiness," she said, plucking it from the bunch and handing it to Willow, "Because you make me so happy."

She took the next one and passed it over.

"Yellow for friendship. Because you're the best friend I've ever had."

Willow took the second rose, her smile growing.

"White for humility," Tara continued contritely, "Because I'm very sorry for how I treated you."

Willow shook her head but Tara kept going, not giving her the chance to argue.

"Peach for gratitude. Because you are the thing I am most thankful for."

Willow put a hand over her heart and pointed at Tara to indicate a return of the sentiment.

Tara plucked the next rose and held it out.

"Orange for desire. Because…" she tilted her head and twirled the rose under Willow's nose, "I think you know why."

Willow blushed but the smile didn't leave her face.

"And red for love. Because…" Tara finished, holding the last rose in the same way she'd held the bunch at the start, with both hands, "I just love you so damn much."

She held out the rose, which Willow took and held with the rest, away from her body so she could throw the other arm around Tara.

"I'm sorry. I was a jerk."

Tara shook her head into Willow's neck.

"No, it was me. I should have just mentioned it beforehand and I shouldn't have been so snarky."

"Forget about it," Willow replied tenderly, kissing Tara's cheek, "Becky must've gotten bogged down with a lesson plan or something. She hasn't come home yet."

"Oh no, she said she had something on," Tara replied, trying to remember, "Parent teacher meetings maybe? She won't be home 'til late."

One of Willow's eyebrows slowly lifted.

"So we have the whole evening to ourselves?"

Tara slowly smiled.

"We sure do."

"I'll make us dinner," Willow offered, squeezing Tara's hand.

"I was going to make acapulco chicken," Tara replied, "I have chicken in the fridge."

"I love your acapulco chicken," Willow gushed, "I can make the rice and pour the tortilla chips…"

Tara pressed a lingering kiss against Willow's cheek.

"And before I forget," she said, producing an almond joy from her purse, "Your replacement candy bar."

Willow took the candy bar and looked down at it for a few moments, feeling silly to be almost near tears at the gesture. She threw her arms around Tara again.

Tara closed the hug and swayed with Willow on the spot. They embraced for several seconds, then shared a sweet, chaste make-up kiss and headed into the kitchen together.

Willow put the roses in water and left them in the middle of the breakfast bar to brighten up the room. She put the rice on while Tara cooked up the chicken mix.

Willow set the table with silverware and wine glasses, as well as candles and dimmed the lights to set the mood. She knew there was a bottle of wine that Becky had bought them, so she found it in the cabinet and uncorked it to 'let it breathe' – something she'd learned from Tara.

She made up plates half and half with rice and tortilla chips and Tara spooned the mixture onto the rice. Willow sprinkled cheese to melt and brought both plates to the table. She held Tara's chair out for her, who smiled gratefully and poured them each a modest glass of wine.

They clinked glasses and each took a long sip.

"This is nice," Willow said with a sigh as she picked up her fork, "Just the two of us."

"Yes, it is," Tara agreed, covering Willow's hand on the table, "But we should be careful not to make Becky feel unwelcome. She would do the same for us."

Willow turned her hand in Tara's and linked their fingers.

"You're so nice."

Tara smiled and squeezed their palms together. They ate their meal leisurely, stealing chips from each other's plates to scoop and feed to each other.

They smiled and laughed, getting rid of all of the tension and replacing it with happy, playful energy. When dinner was finished, they loaded plates into the sink and forgot all about them, retiring to the couch where they flicked on some old Law and Order reruns and shared a pint of ice cream with one spoon.

Willow held a chocolate fish between her teeth and offered it to Tara.

"Eat my fishy."

Tara closed her mouth around the candy and bit it in half, pressing her lips to Willow's in the process. They smiled against each other and had a brief kiss while the chocolate slid down their throats.

Their noses bumped and nuzzled and Tara swung Willow's legs up over her lap so they could cuddle closer.

Their heads turned into each other and their lips met again with more urgency, pulling breath from each other's lungs. The ice cream carton lay forgotten as they started grabbing at each other's clothes; Tara yanking Willow's pants down to her knees and Willow questing under Tara's skirt, jerking her pantyhose and panties down around one ankle.

Willow fell to her knees in front of Tara and grabbed her hips under her skirt, pulling her to the edge. Her short nails dug into the flesh of Tara's thighs, producing the gasp that Willow manipulated into a moan by sinking her tongue between those thighs right on the cusp of the inhalation.

Tara pressed the protruding bulge of Willow's head through her skirt further into herself, fingers slightly clawing at the fabric. Her neck lolled back so the crown of her head hit the wall above the couch, but she barely noticed. All she felt was Willow's hot mouth and all its nuances working her into a withering ball of nerves and pleasure.

Her moans were so loud they shook through her body and up through the walls, filling the air with hot, sticky, sweet energy that she seemed to re-inhale so deeply it made her belly bubble.

There was no simmering, it was straight to boil, the steam filling her up and making her body scream for release. She began to articulate those screams, even with her trying to bite her bottom lip closed and grew tense as Willow's mouth suckled on her with just the right pressure to send her right over the edge.

Willow popped out from under Tara, mouth smeared and hair mussed with a slightly shocked look on her face.

"Holy shit, baby."

Tara could be loud but that was damn loud, and she'd be worried about neighbours complaining if their main neighbour wasn't a total perve who probably got off on it.

Tara didn't really care, she'd been reigning herself in for too long and needed to get a little wild. Her glassy eyes dropped to Willow's face. She saw her girlfriend's shiny mouth and chin with her tongue just gently poking out to lick her lips.

She reached down and grabbed Willow's cheeks, pulling her up into her lap and kissing her with as much passion as she'd just filled the room with.

She was hungry, yanking on the neckline of Willow's shirt and cup of her bra to reveal her breast and suck on her nipple.

Willow's back started to gently arch, but before it had even reached a curve she was thrown down on the cushions and mounted with Tara's mouth so close they shared breath.

Willow's knees spread right above where her jeans were bunched, leaving just enough room for Tara's hand to slip between her thighs and inside her. Willow let out a long, low groan and clenched inside, drawing Tara's fingers all the way in.

"Fuck," she breathed onto Tara's lips, finding the penetrating look in her girlfriend's eye dizzying, "Me."

Tara dragged her fingers almost all the way out and slid back in again, slowly drawing Willow's breath into short, sharp pants. She twisted her hand so her thumb had access to Willow's clit and pushed with upward momentum just as fingers did the same inside.

Willow's head hung back over the armrest as Tara's mouth landed back on her exposed breast. She felt deep pulses of pleasure bandying around her body like they were playing a game of pong and was sure she could feel herself quivering around Tara's fingers.

Her hips started to grind back into the cushions and she took a fistful of Tara's hair, mashing their lips together desperately and sending moans into her mouth.

She could barely stand the tension and rode Tara's hand as hard as she could until she felt the orgasm finally coasting on the horizon. There were a few seconds of pure frenzy until she broke and collapsed back, barely breathing, arms strewn over her head.

"Wow."

Tara extracted herself and lifted Willow's bra and shirt back over her so she was covered+. She sat back and began pulling her own clothes back together.

"Phew," she said, shaking her head to produce some breeze to calm her cheeks, "I feel like we're having an affair. Sneaking around before someone gets home."

Willow's knees closed together and she made a pull at her jeans to get them back over her hips.

"Kinda fun though," she said, sitting back to fasten the button. "If you replace the 'kinda' with 'mind-blowingly crazy and almost unhuman'."

Tara shot a sultry crooked smile in Willow's direction and nodded towards their wine glasses.

"More?"

Willow nodded and flattened back her hair to normal, smiling from ear to ear.

They relaxed with another glass of wine, just enjoying having some space to themselves again, both with clothes on or in disarray. Tara played with Willow's hair while Willow traced the lines of Tara's reapplied pattered pantyhose, where her knees bent up onto the sofa.

Later in the evening, Becky quietly let herself in and seemed surprised to see them.

"You guys are still up?"

The other two waved and Tara stood up.

"Would you like some wine?"

"Sure," Becky agreed as Tara was already fetching another glass, "Thank you."

Tara poured Becky the last of the wine and handed the glass to her.

"Did your school thing go okay?"

Becky nodded behind guzzling a quarter of the glass and sat opposite them.

"Oh yeah, fine. Thanks."

In truth, she'd spend the afternoon seeing a movie and eating McDonalds while working on a lesson plan to seem inconspicuous. She hadn't felt like calling any of her other friends and have to lament the absence of Jack and she wasn't ready to call any of her hook-ups. It hadn't been totally awful spending time on her own and had made her come to a decision she'd been avoiding.

"So I'll be out of your guys' hair soon."

Both Willow and Tara's brows lifted.

"Have you found a new place?" Willow asked.

Becky shook her head.

"Not yet, but soon. I'm gonna crash the hometown for Thanksgiving. My mom will give me a security deposit and I usually have some cash in an envelope from my Dad waiting around as a late birthday present."

Willow knew Becky cared for her family for a lot more than just money, so just reached across and squeezed her knee. Becky offered a sincere smile.

"Thanks so much for inviting me to spent the holiday with you. But I should really make my yearly appearance."

"Whatever you want to do, Becky," Tara replied genuinely, "You're always welcome here."

Becky held up the rest of her glass in gratitude and kicked off her shoes. They all chatted for a little while until Willow began to discreetly rub Tara's thigh.

"Wanna head to bed, baby?"

Tara smiled and nodded demurely.

"Sure."

Willow gave Tara's thigh a brief squeeze.

"I'll be right in."

Tara stood and left their glasses in the sink, said goodnight to Becky and disappeared into the bedroom.

Willow folded her legs beneath her and held the cushion to her chest.

"You okay?"

Becky made a 'who, me?' gesture, then nodded.

"Of course."

"You haven't quoted at me in a while," Willow replied softly, with concern, "No Shakespeare or Mark Twain. No wisdom from the Brontë sisters."

Becky waved her hand dismissively.

"Repeating them ad nauseam to a room full of kids takes the joy out of it."

Willow nodded, understanding that. She'd lost _some_ joy of all things techy with teaching and re-teaching the elderly the same things over and over again, but regained it back when she got a new project to work on with her fellow friendly tech-heads.

"You know you really can stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you," Becky replied, then patted the couch beneath her with a wry grin, "But my back is killing me on this thing."

Willow laughed.

"Fair enough," she replied with a bob of her head, "Well, I'm still here to talk whenever."

Becky acknowledged that with an appreciative smile, then threw her hand back towards the bedroom.

"Get in there," she ordered, "And by the way…"

She rooted in her purse and produced a small plastic container, smirking.

"I bought earplugs."

Willow blushed to her toes and stood up.

"Goodnight."

"'Night," Becky replied with a small cackle, then laid back on the couch and grabbed the remote to flick channels.

Willow rolled her eyes but was pleased to hear the renowned Becky bark. She came into the bedroom and noticed Tara's bare shoulders in bed, though the rest of her was covered.

"You look particularly unclothed," she said, taking steps towards the bed.

"Why don't you come find out?" Tara asked in a playful challenge.

Willow grinned and made a dive under the covers. She pressed her hands and lips all against Tara as she slid up and popped out the other side.

She kissed Tara softly, slowly savouring her.

"I hate fighting…"

Her hand snaked down to caress Tara's body, pulling her girlfriend's knee over her hip.

"But I sure do love making up…"


	11. Chapter 11

**Guest** – and ironically, Willow is playing the housewife role. Give her some credit though, she's really trying :P

 **gg** – Glad you enjoyed it :)

* * *

Tara came through the door with a warm smile on her face and dropped her purse on the table.

"Hello my love."

Willow couldn't help but return the smile and stood up to welcome Tara home.

"You're cheery."

Tara moved in and closed her arms around Willow.

"A four day weekend with my one and only," she said before pressing a long kiss to Willow's cheek, " _And_ I'm not on call."

"You're not?" Willow asked, tugging affectionately on either side of Tara's jacket, "I thought it was your weekend."

Tara went in for another kiss, pecking Willow's lips this time, then shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the back of a chair.

"One of the girls was scheduled for next weekend and needed to change. Plus she could use the overtime from working on a holiday, so she swapped with me."

"We could use the overtime too," Willow interjected, but Tara just crossed her hands behind Willow's neck with a smile.

"Not as much as an undisturbed weekend alone with each other."

Willow put her hands on Tara's hips and gave them a little rub.

Becky had gone back to Kansas for Thanksgiving and had found an apartment near her school to move in to when she got back. It was the first time in a few weeks that they had such a stretch of time all to themselves.

"I can't disagree with that."

Willow knew Tara hated being on call for the after-hours hospital or police service, because if it was bad enough to warrant a call that couldn't wait, it was _bad_. She was glad their holiday weekend would be stress free.

"Look at this," Tara said, rooting in her purse to produce a turkey art piece made in the shape of a traced hand.

"That's so cute," Willow said, turning it over to see Tara's name messily scrawled, "Who's it from?"

"I had a visit in one of our group homes and they were making these," Tara explained with a fond smile, "One of the little boys gave it to me."

"That's adorable," Willow replied, feeling her heart melt, "It's…nice that kids who have been through…stuff…can still…"

Tara nodded swiftly, understanding.

"They're sweet, tough little things."

Willow suddenly realised how much Tara did to help the children in her care and how much love she must extend to have it so returned. She felt a tear form in the corner of her eye and made her way into the kitchen to hide it.

"I'll put it on the fridge."

Tara sat down to take her shoes off after her long day.

"How did grocery shopping go? I'm sorry payday fell so badly that you could only go the day before Thanksgiving. Were you able to get the turkey?"

"Snatched the last one up. A lady literally crashed her cart into mine and tried to stop me!" Willow exclaimed, shaking her head as she remembered, "It's in the sink."

"Oh, it should defrost in the fridge," Tara replied, loosening a top button on her shirt while she was at it, "It has the whole night."

"It won't fit in the fridge," Willow said, carefully angling the magnet so none of the precious art was blocked.

Tara's head shot up.

"What do you mean it won't fit in the fridge? I cleaned it out at the weekend."

"Uh, what else could I mean?" Willow asked with a raised eyebrow, "It barely fits in the sink."

Tara jumped to her feet and rushed over, eyes growing wide when she caught sight of the monstrosity in the sink.

"Willow!"

"What?" Willow asked, matching Tara's tone and already taking a defensive step backwards.

Tara gestured wildly at the turkey.

"You got a, a twenty pound bird!"

"That's what you told me to get!" Willow replied, voice slightly steeping with panic.

Tara held her hands up to her face and very slowly puffed out an exhalation.

"I said get a _two_ pound turkey breast."

Willow stood, mouth agape, at a loss.

"I got what was on the list, look!" she said, marching over to where her jacket was hanging and bringing back the crumpled up list from her pocket, "Right there. 2-0."

Tara took it, peered and pointed at the offending numbers.

"That's a 2 and a smudge," she said in exasperation, "How could you possibly have thought we could consume all of this? I don't even think it will fit in our oven."

"I figured a lot of it was bone!" Willow defended, arms crossing over her chest.

She stayed firm for a moment, before slumping back against the wall.

"I'm sorry, Tara," she said contritely, eyes on the floor, "I screwed up our whole Thanksgiving."

Tara immediately came over and took each of Willow's hands.

"Hey, sweetie," she said softly, leaning in to kiss the bridge of Willow's nose apologetically, "You didn't. We'll work something out. It's just a turkey."

She brought Willow's hands to her mouth and kissed her knuckles.

"I can still make candied yams and mashed potato and sweet carrots and cornbread and homemade cranberry sauce," she continued, then offered a sweet smile, "And of course, pumpkin pie."

Willow smiled too.

"I love pumpkin pie."

"I know you do," Tara replied, pulling Willow's arms until they were around her, "It'll all be okay."

Willow nuzzled against Tara's chest and accepted the comfort. Tara rubbed Willow's back up and down until they naturally parted.

"I'm gonna go have a shower and start this long weekend off right. Do you mind?" Tara asked.

Willow shook her head.

"Of course not," Willow replied, squeezing Tara's shoulder, "Is leftovers okay for dinner?"

Tara nodded.

"Yes, definitely. That baked ziti you made last night was so good, I'd eat it for a week."

Willow knew it wasn't _that_ good but appreciated the encouragement.

"I'll do fresh garlic bread," she said, then added on with a wry grin, "And if you're lucky some fresh grated parmesan too!"

Tara took either side of Willow's collar in her hands and pulled her forwards.

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

She launched her lips onto Willow's and kissed her passionately for several seconds before popping off. She bumped their noses together and went off into the bathroom.

Willow was a little unsteady on her feet, nearing a swoon. She fanned herself for a moment, recovering from the hotness that was Tara and finally was able to hold herself up again.

She then went about getting the pasta dish and garlic bread in the oven to heat.

After a while Tara came back into the living room, smelling fresh and clean, and comfortable in warm sweats and her favourite blue hoodie. She snuggled in beside Willow on the couch and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"It's so nice to have a few days off."

"I had an idea, maybe, about turkey dilemma," Willow said, catching Tara's eye who nodded for her to continue, "The senior centre is doing a thanksgiving lunch for all the regulars who don't have family. We could donate our food, even help cook and serve. Or just donate the turkey if you wanted it to be just us. But at least this way we could actually snag some of the turkey with our meal. I happened to get a kosher one because it was the only one left, so it works out."

Tara put her hand over Willow's heart and smiled.

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard," she said, rubbing her fingertips against Willow's exposed skin, "I'd love to do that with you."

"The whole thing? I don't want you to feel overworked on your days off," Willow asked, but Tara nodded surely.

"Absolutely. I was going to cook anyway, and I'd love to see where you spend all your time."

Willow smiled, happy to have 'saved the day', so to speak.

"I'll go call and see if we can join."

She got up to make the call and sat back with Tara when she was done.

"They said if we could be there by 10; that would be great. And the more help the better."

"10 it is," Tara agreed, "That garlic bread smells great."

Willow turned her head into Tara's neck, ready to wait out the last 10 minutes of cooking time with canoodling.

"Not as good as you…"

* * *

Tara carefully locked up the apartment, tidied away her keys in her purse and picked up the two paper bags filled with the food they were bringing to the senior centre.

She made her way down the stairs, careful to watch her feet so as not to trip, then walked out to the sidewalk.

Willow was already waiting there, in her meals on wheels delivery bike, with the huge turkey sitting in the wagon. Tara approached, grinning.

"Those are the hot wheels, huh?"

Willow blushed.

"Okay, not the sexiest contraption in the world but it sure does help with the lugging. Put the bags in."

Tara left the bags down beside the turkey, tucked into corners so they wouldn't fall down.

"How do the meals you deliver stay warm?"

Willow lifted her foot onto the pedal and began a slow ride, so Tara could keep up while walking.

"You know those hot boxes pizzas are delivered in? There's a few really big ones of those that fit a bunch of trays in there. We have cool boxes too, for desserts."

"It's a really neat operation they have going," Tara replied, impressed, "When I serve at the homeless shelter, I don't realise about all the people who might not be able to get there."

"I might get roped into a delivery later," Willow warned, "But I won't be gone all day."

"That's okay, it's nice to be able to help," Tara replied softly.

Willow nodded.

"Yeah, it is."

They made their way the three blocks and two corners away to the senior centre and Willow 'parked' in the designated bike space.

"Be warned, there's a lot of little old Jewish men and ladies," Willow said as she jumped off and handed Tara the paper bags again, "Prepare to be probed relentlessly about your life and have some Yiddish thrown at you."

"Will they hate this shiksa?" Tara asked.

"Not when they find out you're shtupping me," Willow replied, grinning, "I'm very popular. It's my adorable smile."

"And modesty," Tara added wryly, "You able to wrangle that thing?"

Willow got her arms around the turkey and led them into the centre and through to the big, industrial kitchen. She made a general introduction around the room and brought the turkey over to the meat section.

Tara was about to perch her bags on the corner of the counter when a middle-aged woman in an apron approached, wiping her hands on it.

"Do you know kashrut?"

Tara pursed her lips.

"Um…no."

"We keep kosher," the woman explained, "We'll put you on the vegetables for now. Meat can't be eaten with dairy, or have cross-contamination with utensils so we have to be careful."

"Vegetables are fine," Tara replied, "We brought carrots and green beans and potatoes and yams. Oh, and things for pumpkin pie."

The woman smiled.

"Great, the more the better. You can put your stuff with the rest and go ask Anderson what you can do."

She pointed to a lonesome man in the other corner, who was peeling his way through a whole bushel of potatoes. Tara walked over and started unpacking the bags.

"Hi," she greeted shyly, though not without warmth, "I'm Tara. I have food and hands to help with."

The guy shot back a smile, flashing his bright white teeth. He was tanned and sporting some scruff.

"Anderson," he said, holding up a hand to indicate he wasn't in the best position for a handshake, "What's your cooking level like?"

"Pretty good, I think," Tara replied humbly.

"Can you glaze carrots?" Anderson asked.

"Yes," Tara nodded, "I do that at home."

She pulled all of the carrots together and started to peel them over the second sink. Anderson admired her speed with an impressed nod.

"First time?" he asked.

"Here, yes," Tara replied, finding the mindless peeling oddly relaxing, "I do some work in a homeless centre uptown, and with a women's refuge through work."

Anderson swooped in and stole a piece of raw carrot.

"What brought you here today?" he asked through a mouthful.

Tara rolled her eyes playfully.

"My girlfriend bought a humungous turkey instead of the little turkey breast I told her to buy for the two of us, so we decided it would be a shame for it to go to waste."

Anderson laughed.

"My boyfriend went home to his family, my parents are on a cruise and I'm a lousy cook, so my grandmother insisted I come here with her," he explained, then shrugged, "Better than Chinese food. Who's your girlfriend?"

Tara pointed over to where Willow was preparing trays.

"Willow Rosenberg."

"I think I know Willow," Anderson replied, bobbing his head, "By name, anyway. Real good with computers?"

"Bit of a whiz," Tara replied affectionately.

Anderson nodded.

"My grandmother talks about her."

"Who's your grandmother?" Tara enquired.

"Mabel Goldblast," Anderson answered.

Tara just grinned.

The morning was busy with prepping what seemed to be endless vegetables and coordinating the cooking time and oven space. Willow had already gone on one delivery when she snuck up on Tara, who had moved on to washing dishes, and gave her waist a squeeze.

"Hey, I snagged us a break time and some food before it's gone."

"Oh, you did?" Tara asked, drying the pot in her hands and then leaving the dishcloth on the side of the sink.

Willow nodded, interlocked their fingers and brought Tara into the rec room. There was a little circular table in the corner with two plates fixed with all the trimmings. They sat opposite each other and Tara waved her napkin into her lap.

"This turkey looks amazing."

"Kosher turkey, you'll be a convert," Willow replied with a grin, "I got my eyes on these candied yams that a certain someone made."

"With extra marshmallows, just for you," Tara said, smiling, "Although it looks like a few of these people are on a sugar high."

The patrons of the centre were all buzzing around, playing cards and bingo at a tempo much more jovial than the usual quiet, sedate pace. It was nice to see the older people in such good spirits and made her very glad they'd chosen to spend the day this way.

"I'm thankful that you brought me here today," she said.

Willow was cutting up her turkey but paused.

"I'm thankful…that life falls into place."

"I'm thankful for fate," Tara returned in the same fashion.

"I'm thankful for love," Willow countered.

They reached across the table at the same time and took each other's hand. Both spoke together.

"I'm thankful for you."

Willow lifted Tara's hand to kiss it, then Tara turned Willow's hand over and did the same.

"Hey, guess who I was cooking with all morning?" she asked as she cut up her turkey, "Mabel's grandson."

Willow looked wary and Tara just grinned.

"He came by because he was lonely without his _boyfriend_."

Willow choked on a piece of carrot and managed to get it down with some water, then grinned.

"Oh, that's perfect. Now I won't feel so guilty every time I turn her down."

They laughed and continued to eat and Willow pointed out the various inhabitants of the room; who they were and what they were like. Tara knew a lot of them by name already, from Willow's stories. One resident didn't need introducing as she came over and did it herself, boisterously.

"Oh Willow, it's so good to see you. I had no idea you were coming to today. I simply have to introduce you to my grandson. Andy…Andy!"

Anderson stood up from a small tray table he was eating at, wiped his mouth on a napkin and approached, smiling familiarly at Tara.

"Hey. What's up?"

Mabel's eyes were shining with excitement.

"This is Willow, the girl I've been telling you all about."

Willow eyes widened and she tensed, but Anderson just loosely held his hands on his hips.

"Bubbe, you know I have a boyfriend. You met him."

"Shegetz," Mabel muttered, "I'm just introducing a young woman! You come over and attack your grandmother! Kids with no respect these days!"

She turned her nose up indignantly, but her eyes did dart between Willow and Anderson, looking for something; anything.

Willow cleared her throat and turned in her chair to face Mabel.

"Mabel, I should really tell you…this is Tara. She's my girlfriend. Like how Anderson has a boyfriend."

Mabel's gaze faltered, and she deflated as if her bubble was literally burst.

"Are you at least Jewish?" she asked Tara with accusing eyes.

Tara shook her head shyly.

"No, ma'am."

Mabel's wrinkled brow furrowed even more.

"The world has gone mad."

She threw up her arms, then tottered off to meddle with someone else.

Anderson rolled his eyes in that way only a relative can get away with.

"She doesn't care that I have a boyfriend, just that he's not Jewish," he said with a shake of his head, "Sorry if she hassles you."

"I had a Bubbe too," Willow replied understandingly, "It is nice to meet you. I've heard lots."

He reached out and shook her hand warmly.

"You gals have a nice evening. Nice working with you today, Tara."

They all exchanged waves and Willow and Tara got back to eating. Willow nudged Tara and nodded for her to look down into Tara's purse which was sitting alongside them. Tara noticed a pumpkin pie in a plastic container had been stashed in there.

"Willow, did you steal that?" Tara whispered.

Willow grinned conspiringly.

"They won't miss it, they have about twenty in there."

Tara shook her head, but not without a smile and continued eating.

When they were finished, Willow brought their plates back into the kitchen and Tara sat back, relaxing with a full belly.

A man approached her and warmly shook her hand.

"Hello, I'm David."

"Tara," Tara replied cordially, "You're the manager, right?"

"Yes," David replied with a nod of his head, "How have you found the facility?"

"It seems wonderful," Tara said sincerely, "The people are lovely."

Willow came back at that moment and sidled up to Tara, protectively.

"Tara, this is David, the centre manager," she introduced calmly, "David, this is Tara. My _girlfriend_."

"We've met," David replied, then offered a hand wave, "Thank you both for being here today."

David left to go to someone on the other side of the room, and Willow held her hands up apologetically.

"Sorry for whatever he said."

"He was perfectly nice," Tara replied with a shrug.

"Yeah, he is nice but…wait, he didn't try to hit on you?" Willow asked and Tara shook her head, "He tries to hit on everyone."

"Wow I must be wearing all the food pretty obviously," Tara replied, good-naturedly patting her stomach.

Willow kissed Tara's cheek sweetly.

"More like he's blind," she said tenderly, "I got roped into another delivery, are you okay here?"

"Sure honey," Tara replied, squeezing Willow's arms.

Willow returned to the kitchen and went over to help with packing the trays with the other volunteers.

"Hey, I think David might be sick," she said, quickly looking around to make sure he wasn't there, "He just met my girlfriend and didn't try to hit on her. And yeah, I'm biased, but my girlfriend is hot."

"Didn't you hear?" one of the more gossipy women said, grinning wildly at being able to chinwag, "He was dating that new volunteer, Tracy. Went bad. He's been going around with his tail between his legs since. She's blasting him every way to Sunday. The vindictive sort, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, bummer," Willow replied, though it was only a matter of time his manner rubbed someone up the wrong way, "Have I got a list?"

Willow was handed her list of addresses and started to carry out the hot and cool boxes to her bike. She rode fast, both because she wanted to get back to Tara and maybe get them home to spend the evening alone, and because it was damn cold.

Tara had started to mingle and was sitting with an older lady, reading her palm. The woman loved it, especially since Tara was giving her a little hand massage in the process.

"You have the gift," her frail voice spoke out.

"Life is a gift," Tara answered cryptically and with a mischievous, blossoming smile, "That's why it's called the present."

The older lady tapped Tara's head with a wise smile and soon fell asleep in her chair under Tara's relaxing touch. Her soft snores reminded Tara of Willow, and she thought about them as little old ladies with Willow asleep on her in a rocking chair.

She was still in thought when Willow popped up behind her and patted her shoulder.

"Babe, we're out of here."

"Oh, okay," Tara replied, carefully leaving the woman's hand back in her lap and settling a nearby blanket over her.

They got their jackets and said goodbye to the people they'd worked with, then headed out in the blustering cold. Tara stood behind Willow to warm her from behind. They stayed like that the whole way home, and Tara was holding onto Willow by the middle by the time they got to their door.

"That wasn't the Thanksgiving I was expecting, but it was lovely nonetheless."

"Well you're the common denominator in loveliness," Willow replied, fetching her key from her pocket.

Tara kissed Willow's neck and they walked into the apartment.

"Ooh, it's freezing," Tara said, clutching her arms, "I thought I put the timer on."

"I'll get it," Willow replied, while Tara took their jackets to hang up.

When she returned, Willow was sitting at the heater, scratching her head.

"Tara, I think the heater's broken."

"What?" Tara asked, bending on her knees to take a closer look.

Willow pressed all the buttons, plugged and unplugged and repeatedly flicked the switch.

"There's nothing happening. No light, no nothing."

Tara tried to do the same.

"Well, crap. We need to call the landlord."

"Grunty isn't going to respond on Thanksgiving!" Willow replied with frustration.

Tara sighed and sat back.

"Then I guess we're having an evening of blankets."

* * *

Willow ran across the bedroom from the bathroom, diving under the blanket and trying to cover every part of her to stop shivering.

Their landlord had tried to brush them off until Monday what with it being a holiday weekend, but Willow had had a howler of a phone conversation with him with all kinds of threats about suing for breach of lease and contacting the IRS and he'd both promptly and aggravatedly told them he'd be there first thing in the morning.

She scooted over towards Tara for extra body warmth.

"I swear if Grunty doesn't show up tomorrow morning, I will do something… moderately rude."

They both had full length pyjamas and multiple pair of socks on, but the cold was blistering. Tara had covered them in all the blankets they had, but the nip in the air was still palatable.

"After that phone call you had with him, I have no doubt he'll be here at 9 on the dot," she replied, putting her hands into her own pants for more warmth.

Willow's legs were curled up beneath her.

"That warm pumpkin pie was great for about 10 minutes before the icy air found its way in me again. I can't sleep in the cold. I'm all shiver, shiver, shiver and no slumber, slumber, slumber."

"Honey," Tara said sympathetically, "Come here."

They snuggled up as closely as possible and Willow closed her eyes to try and think of heat-inducing thoughts.

It was too cold to act them out, as all the jostling would expose them to the freezing air, but thoughts were enough to see her through to sleep.

In the middle of the night, something woke her up. She felt odd, but not in a bad way. She was warm. In fact, she was positively toasty. She revelled in it for a moment before realising what it was that woke her, a vibration in the bed.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Tara, curled up and shivering with just the thin sheet draped over her. Willow was completely startled and reached out to grab her shoulder.

"Tara."

Tara jolted awake, her teeth chattering. Willow immediately grabbed all of the blankets and comforters and bundled them and herself up against Tara.

"Jesus, Tara, what are you doing?"

Tara didn't object, tucking herself under Willow's chin and clutching at her.

"Y-you said you were too cold to sleep. I-I thought if I tucked you all in y-you'd be warmer."

Willow rubbed Tara's back, swift movements to encourage her blood to flow.

"Baby."

She closed her eyes and kissed the top of Tara's head.

"You don't have to sacrifice yourself for me," she said, holding Tara tighter.

She caught Tara's feet, which were icy, even through her socks.

"You're freezing. Come closer, I'll keep you warm."

Tara's violent shivering finally started to quieten.

"I love you, Willow-pillow," she whispered, her cold nose pressing against Willow's neck.

Willow tucked the blankets all in around them, angling them so they were both covered in multiple layers.

"Don't be a dummy again, okay?"

Tara nuzzled into Willow's chest.

"I'm sorry."

"What's that you always say?" Willow asked, happily letting her breath sync with Tara's, "Everything we have, we share. That definitely includes blankets."

Tara was almost drugged by being warmed again and just kept gently nestling into Willow.

"You're so warm."

"I'll be your electric blanket," Willow offered.

"Are you rechargeable?" Tara murmured.

"I'm recuddlible," Willow answered.

She glanced down and saw Tara smile, then felt her drift off to sleep, cheeks with some colour in them again.

She smiled too and stayed right where she was – Tara twirled around her was her favourite position to sleep in.

Or be in, in any scenario.

She closed her eyes and joined Tara in a more peaceful sleep than before.

It was better being warmed by each other, if not the air.


	12. Chapter 12

**FivebyFive89** – Glad you enjoyed it :)

 **jaiden83** – _10:_ Let me know when you succeed ;)

 _11:_ Think about her having to lug it home!

* * *

"I should have brought some of my own food to eat."

Willow had her arms crossed petulantly over her chest as she and Tara walked from their apartment to Becky's new place, where they'd helped her move in the week before.

Tara shot Willow a look, namely the 'stop being cranky' one.

"You told me you loved the cheese from The Netherlands, even the stinky stuff. I bring home one blue and you decide you'll only eat string cheese from now on."

"Everything tastes better in Europe," Willow replied sullenly, "Your tastebuds change on the plane, you know."

"I don't think it extends to being off the plane too," Tara refuted, though softly.

Willow dropped her arms so her mittened hands hung by her side.

"But why a fondue party?"

"Because it's Becky and it's fun and it's her housewarming so she gets to decide what she wants to do," Tara explained, putting an arm around Willow's shoulders, "We need to be encouraging. You know it's rough for her to be living on her own and having to really accept the break-up. It's nice to see her having friends over instead of going out alone and ending up god knows where."

Willow leaned her head in against Tara.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll quit the grump. And I like wine now, maybe I like cheese again too."

"That's the spirit."

Tara kissed her girlfriend's cheek, which was its own reward for Willow. They arrived at Becky's apartment block, which was new and modern but not as corporate as the place she shared with Jack. They were buzzed in and rode the elevator to Becky's floor.

Becky opened the door cheerily, in fact the most cheerful she had been in weeks. Some easy listening music was playing in the apartment and there were already some people buzzing around, taking advantage of the many retro stools and furniture Becky had decorated her place with.

"Hey, it's my lovebirds," Becky greeted with a smile, "Come on in. Fondue for everyone!"

They walked in and Tara was pleased to see Becky had finished unpacking, as she'd been struggling when they left her the week before. The place looked great with its black/red theme and lots of glass and stainless steel. Becky had wanted 'modern retro', and though Tara hadn't been quite sure what that meant, it was fun and funky to look at now.

The table was fixed in the middle of the room and filled with food and drinks to mix. Willow was delighted to see that there weren't just buckets of cheese, but additional pots of white, milk and dark chocolate. She clutched at Tara's arm and pointed.

Tara nodded to say she saw, with a smile. She held out the small gift bag with a scented candle for Becky.

"Thank you so much," Becky replied cheerily, lifting it out and taking a little sniff, "Mandarin. Exotic. Kinda sexy."

She winked, which made Tara blush, so she turned to take her and Willow's jackets to hang up. Becky went off to get them a beer each from the fridge.

Willow stood in front of the table and rubbed her hands together. There were breads, cold meats and pickles to go with the cheese; and fruits, marshmallows, wafers and graham crackers to go with the chocolate.

None of the cheese pots looked particularly offensive, and Willow had to admit, were without the horrible smell that that put her off the idea to begin with.

She'd only gotten the notion in her head to stick to plain cheeses when the stench of a particularly strong blue cheese Tara brought home had left a bad taste in her mouth for days. It was made worse by having its taste and smell permeate everything else in the fridge.

As she considered the concoctions of flavours in front of her, she thought she might be ready to put tale of blue terror behind her.

"The blends are written on the little cards," Becky commented as she returned with their beers and saw Willow staring at the pots, "Nothing too crazy. They sure do have a nerve charging so much for something that's made from the stuff that comes out of animal titties."

"It smells good," Willow replied quickly, and honestly, "…I'll have a little dip, in a bit."

"Have a little 'skinny' dip with the low fat mozzarella blend," Becky joked, then gestured around the room, "Well enjoy. Mostly people from work here so far. Expecting some old college buddies. And of course, you remember Kim and her boyfriend Dave."

Kim and Dave waved familiarly and another man beside them nodded in their direction.

"And Darren," Becky added, teeth slightly gritted as he hadn't been expressly invited, but had tagged along anyway.

There was another knock at the door then, which Becky went off to answer and exclaim happily to whomever was at the other side.

Willow and Tara made small talk with Kim about their lives post-graduation but Willow went off to dip some cheese when the subject of employment came up. She found herself best avoiding that area of discussion. She didn't like when the tone turned to pity.

When she noticed Tara had taken a seat on the couch, she went over to join her, bringing a piece of bread dipped in the fondue pot labelled spicy. She offered to her before it dripped all over her fingers.

Tara ate it before it stained anything and discreetly licked her fingers.

"It's delicious. I like that kick. Tastes like serrano peppers."

"The fondue thing is pretty cool, actually," Willow commented, "Kinda like an indoor bonfire. I'm definitely making up a s'more later. And okay, you were right…I'm enjoying the cheese. But if you ever bring home that blue stuff again…"

The party got into full swing quickly as the last of the guests arrived and filled the room. Though crowded, it was a very laid-back event even with the mix of people and personalities. The fondue seemed to keep people around a focus point, making a constant loop of different people mixing and chatting.

On her way back from dipping some strawberries in the delicious white chocolate, Willow caught a scent of something and sank in beside Tara with her eyes wide.

"Are they smoking dope?" she whispered, alarmed, into Tara's ear, then stared at the suspected offenders while she nibbled on the strawberry.

Tara cast her eyes over to where Kim and the two guys were sitting around, smoking something.

"Maybe," she replied with a one-shoulder shrug.

Willow's eyes suddenly started darting all around and Tara had to hold back a smile. She patted her girlfriend's back gently.

"Willow, chill out. The DEA aren't about to break down the door."

Willow tried to make herself look small in the chair as if she might be invisible should a drug bust spontaneously occur.

"I've never been around people smoking before."

"Really?" Tara asked, genuinely surprised, "Ever? Becky never smoked in your room?"

"No!" Willow replied, aghast at the idea, "She tried to get me to eat a brownie at a party once but I just left. There's evidence it's linked to paranoia, you know."

Tara chose not to point out Willow was the one being slightly paranoid, apparently just from getting a whiff.

"Everyone tries it," she reasoned with a pacifying smile, "Don't worry."

"Um, we haven't," Willow replied, then did a double take at the ever-so-slightly guilty look on Tara's face, "Have you!?"

Tara tucked a piece of hair behind her own ear. She was a little embarrassed, not because she'd tried it, but because it had been from succumbing to peer-pressure at the time.

"Once or twice. I wasn't into it, but I don't see the big deal for people that are."

Willow looked at Tara as if she'd just said she'd killed a puppy in her youth. Tara held up her hands defensively.

"Willow, don't be so uptight. I had a few drags at study group session, it wasn't for me, I never had any ever again."

Willow slowly recovered down from her shock.

"I thought eating Thai food was the extent of your experimentation in study groups!" she exclaimed quietly, "You're supposed to study in those things, you know!"

Tara sighed.

"I did study, everyone else didn't. I stopped going when it became obvious everyone was more interested in providing an excuse to kick-back under the guise of studying. Why do you think I never had any meetings after we met? Yes, I went to one or two more than I should have because I had no other social life, but they weren't KKK meetings or something for god's sake."

Willow had wondered about the mentioned study group that Tara never actually seemed to go to, but not enough to voice the question. It made sense that she had left after they met and kept coy because of the reason.

"Yeah, okay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything."

She chewed on some skin on the corner of her thumb and cautiously met Tara's eye.

"What was it like?" she asked uncertainly.

"I felt fuzzy mostly. I prefer a clearer mind and to relax with meditation," Tara answered honestly, then her lips started to quirk into a grin, "Why, are you curious?"

"It's illegal!" Willow hissed.

"One toke won't make you a pothead," Tara replied, rolling her eyes playfully, "It probably will be legal in a decade or so."

Willow glanced around nervously.

"You know all the lingo," she said, her palms already growing sweaty, "If you did it and say it's not awful…"

She leaned right into Tara and whispered.

"Do you think they'd give us some?"

Tara was pleasantly surprised. Willow had a very square comfort zone and this definitely fell outside of it. It was nice to see her push her own boundaries.

"I'll take a drag with you if you want."

Willow shook her head back and forth.

"No, you said you didn't like it."

Tara had found it more disconcerting than relaxing when she'd tried it before, and had no desire to try it again, but was willing to if it added to Willow's experience.

"I didn't hate it. Everyone feels different."

Willow looked at Tara vulnerably.

"Would you stay sober so I know you're here to protect me?"

Tara put a hand on Willow's knee and squeezed.

"Of course I would, but sweetheart," she started softly, "You don't have to do anything. There's nothing wrong with never having tried pot any more than there is having tried it. I'm more surprised the opportunity has never presented itself, but if you want to go for it…I'm here. Otherwise we'll just eat more strawberries. It's all good."

"I may be…a little bit curious," Willow admitted, getting a little bouncy in her seat.

It always seemed like a scene she had nothing in common with, but if Tara had tried it and lived to tell the tale, then it couldn't be as ominous as she thought. DRUGS were an all-caps thing in her mind; with their - vague - consequences catastrophic and far-reaching. Her parents had lectured her enough to keep her interest quelled and her personality and hobbies had kept her exposure low.

But she'd been thrown in the deep end of life in recent months and she didn't have that nagging voice that sounded so very like her mother's plaguing her every decision like she had for many years. She never went wild, but she'd been known to throw caution to the wind, and with Tara's influence and sanctuary there was a lot more security in her decisions. Like Tara said, sometimes the right opportunity just had to present itself.

"…it's not like I'm thinking about shooting up heroin or something."

Tara grinned, lips sloped on one side.

"Want me to go get some?"

Willow looked all around, doing a final scour for an undercover agent of some sort, then finally smiled at Tara like she was hiding a big secret and nodded. Tara stood up and approached Becky's ex, Darren, to ask if she could have some. Becky sidled up beside Tara with a grin.

"I didn't know you partake."

"Not since sophomore year," Tara replied, sitting on the arm of the couch while the new joint was made up, "Willow's up for a hit."

Becky nearly collapsed on the spot.

"Are you for real?" she asked, her eyes batting around manically, "This I have to see."

Tara pulled gently on Becky's sleeve, bringing her closer.

"Don't make fun of her, she's nervous."

Becky nodded to say she agreed but was still grinning from ear-to-ear. Darren finished rolling the joint, but pulled it back as he offered it to Tara.

"If I give you this, do I get a kiss in return? Your girlfriend is welcome to get involved…"

Becky shoved him from the side.

"Creep, you're getting free beer," she said, grabbing the lighter from his goody box and coming over to Willow with Tara.

"Wasn't expecting an audience," Willow chuckled nervously as they took a seat either side of her, "Let me see it."

Tara handed the unlit joint over for Willow to examine. Willow sniffed it, turned it all around in her hand and finally held it like she'd seen people hold cigarettes, her heart hammering.

"How do I do it?"

"Here," Becky said, taking the joint and lighting it in her mouth so it blazed properly.

Willow watched her inhale it, counted the exact seconds she held it so she could copy and even noted the release pattern of the exhale.

She took it back from Becky between trembling fingers and lifted it between her lips. She glanced to Tara for some assurance, who patted her back to let her known she was there, then copied Becky's mouthful as she'd seen, taking a decent drag for a first timer.

She didn't last quite as long with it in her mouth, managing three seconds before coughing and spluttering. She waved the smoke dangling in front of her face away, not liking being caught for air or the evaporating sensation at the back of her throat.

"That's all I want, that's all I want!"

Becky took the joint back, had another puff and handed it back to Darren, by way of Kim so she wouldn't have to actually touch him.

Willow sat back in the couch, stuck to it so it molded her back at every curve. She was still; the only thing moving, her darting eyes back and forth.

Tara brushed the back of her fingers up and down Willow's arm.

"Just relax, sweetheart."

Willow stayed in that position for a few long moments, then took in one, deep long breath as if she'd just been revived from drowning. She smiled and sat up, loosened.

"Cool…"

Becky snickered and Tara grinned while Willow just giggled to herself. Becky patted Willow hard on the back, impressed with her for trying it

"Kudos, my friend. You broke my expectations!"

Willow offered two thumbs up, though did hold them upside down. Becky snorted some more, then shot Tara a smile before going back to mingle through her party.

Willow's eyes landed on Tara and she reached out to touch her face with both hands. Her face cocked in wonder as her fingertips traced Tara's jawline.

"It's like I'm blind and your face is braille for beautiful."

She leaned in and took a dramatic sniff of Tara's head.

"Is your hair made of vanilla pods?"

She twirled the strands to test them but didn't seem to be able to come to a conclusion.

Tara let herself be poked and prodded until Willow got bored and moved on to a moth that flew by her face, following it in its journey around the apartment before finally catching it. She spent a long time standing, whispering to it, while it was clasped in her hands before theatrically setting it free out the window.

"Be free, ugly butterfly!"

Tara kept an eye on her and was worried when she spotted her make a beeline for the table. She was about to step up and guide her away from the hot cheese and potential burns, but Willow just grabbed the plate of marshmallows, hid it in the crook of her arm, looked around suspiciously, then went to curl up by the speaker playing music.

She nodded her head in time with the vibration thumping through it, in her own little world.

She seemed content, so Tara let her be to experience her first and very likely only high.

People began to filter out as the night dragged on and when a teacher friend of Becky's who Tara had been chatting to got up to leave with her boyfriend, Becky took the vacated spot. She looked over at Willow who was passed out, still holding the marshmallow plate. She chuckled.

"She had one drag," she said, shaking her head to herself, "She always was a lightweight."

"This was a big deal to her," Tara said softly, "Don't take it away from her."

"Will we have her scoring on the street corner?" Becky asked with a grin, "I was going to head out with the Kim and co but I don't think she's moving."

"I could probably drag her into a cab," Tara suggested, though wasn't sure she'd be able to lift Willow at deadweight, "If they don't think I'm kidnapping her."

"She's welcome to crash on the couch," Becky offered genuinely, "You too."

"Thanks, I think we might have to," Tara replied, then turned to face Becky, "But you, go out, have fun. I'm used to being the boring fuddy duddy who stays at home."

"You sure?" Becky asked, really wanting to go out and party for the first time in weeks, "I think I might be ready for my rebound guy."

Tara knew that was a big deal and squeezed Becky's upper arm. Becky nodded in acknowledgment and they shared a smile.

"Thanks for inviting us," Tara finished, smiling still, "Surprising but a lot of fun. It was nice to have a chance to mingle without Willow too. Not in a bad way. You know what I mean."

Becky gave Tara a sidelong hug and warm smile.

"Help yourself to anything. TV has cable and everything," she offered, then cast a distasteful look as Darren grunted on the couch opposite, "And now I need to get that disgusting fucker off my couch!"

She marched over and practically kicked him off, starting a generally assembly of people getting ready to head out to a club. Becky waved and blew a kiss in Tara's direction as she left with them and Tara took in a long, slow breath as she took in the aftermath of the party.

She decided she'd do Becky a favour and clean the place up, especially if she was going to come back the next morning after her 'rebound' – she would have messy feelings to deal with, a messy apartment would be too much.

She opened all the windows first to get rid of the smell of pot and stale alcohol, then moved on to pack away all the food in Tupperware, wipe all the ledges and trash all the empties.

Willow stayed soundly asleep, drooling, through the whole thing even with the music still playing out of the speaker she was wrapped around. Tara tried to wake her but it was fruitless, so she just dragged her over to the floor space beside the couch and got a pillow under her head and blanket over her.

Tara had a discreet look in the linen closet and found another blanket for herself, so slipped off her shoes and curled up on the couch beside Willow. She did a quick breathing check on Willow, just to be on the safe side and decided all was well.

She turned off the lamp, closed her eyes and smiled as she wondered what kind of psychedelic dreams were going on in Willow's head.

* * *

Tara stretched her back out as she waited for the coffee to drip through the pot. Her muscles were punishing her for the night on Becky's couch and her head was punishing her for not giving her an instant caffeine fix upon awakening.

She'd brought Willow home first thing when she noticed a pair of boxer shorts hanging on the doorknob of Becky's bedroom door.

Tara already knew Becky had indeed scored her 'rebound guy', as she had woken up when they ambled through the door late, drunk. She also knew that that guy was Darren, which hadn't been that surprising, despite Becky's apparent disgust with him. In fact, it was probably exactly because of it - he would be a lot easier to get rid of the next day when Becky didn't give a damn about being rude.

From the tales Becky had told of their dating days, she didn't think Darren would mind being used and abused too much either.

Tara didn't need coffee to know Becky would kick Darren out whenever she managed to rouse, never for it to be spoken of again before she took a long shower and scrubbed him off of her.

Tara didn't need to be there as a witness, for either of their sakes.

She had contemplated falling back into bed when they got home, but decided a few strong mugs of the dark nectar brewing would serve her better. She used some hazelnut creamer Willow had gotten on sale that was actually quite delicious and lifted the cup up to inhale the sweet steam.

Right before she was about to take that first, luxurious sip, she jumped in fright as Willow, still with bedhead and crumpled clothes, slammed her laptop down from where she was sitting on the couch.

"I need to shave my head."

Tara very luckily avoided any spills, though did fix Willow with a very momentary annoyed look for the possibility.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, shaking her head a little to rid herself of the stun.

"Tara, they can detect marijuana in your hair for up to 90 days!" Willow exclaimed, fingernails at her mouth to gnaw on nervously.

They had been practically ground down to nothing over the past 24 hours.

Tara calmly walked over and sat in beside her girlfriend.

"Willow you had one drag," she explained evenly but saw it didn't ease her girlfriend's worry at all, "Who's going to steal your hair to run a random drug test on it?"

"Maybe the senior centre does random drug tests!" Willow said, eyes bloodshot, though from being dragged out in the cold early and not from her single pull on the joint.

"I sincerely doubt they spend much of their tight budget worrying about hair tests for volunteers," Tara replied, closing her eyes happily as the warm liquid in her mug finally passed down her throat.

Willow brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

"I'm never smoking again!"

Tara angled herself so she could rub Willow's back and comfort her.

"You don't have to. I didn't want to do it again after I tried it either. We can live a happy life never seeing Mary Jane ever again. To be quite honest I don't know if I could cope as your chaperone anyway."

Willow turned her head towards Tara and her lips quirked up in a smile.

"I'm being silly aren't I?"

Tara held up two fingers, a half inch apart.

"Just a little."

Willow leaned in and rested her head on Tara's chest.

"I did feel a little paranoid, you know."

Tara laughed.

"The only thing you were paranoid about was someone stealing the last marshmallow."

Willow blushed.

"Guess I'm not a total square after all. It was even kinda…a little fun."

Tara lifted Willow's chin up to face her.

"You've always been the most thrilling person in my life," she said, planting a kiss on Willow's lips, then stroking her hair gently, "I'm glad you're not shaving your hair. I'd miss playing with it."

"And lose your number one way of making me succumb," Willow replied, knowing having her hair played with was the best way to get her to agree to something.

Tara moved her hand underneath Willow's hair and rubbed her earlobe between her fingers.

"I'd still have your ears."

Willow felt herself melting into a puddle and nuzzled against Tara's hand.

"Keep doing that and you can have my everything…"


	13. Chapter 13

**FivebyFive89** – Marshmallows have so much going for them; taste, texture, pliability. Munchie heaven!

 **billy** – Thanks!

 **jaiden83** – I think Tara has a surprise or two tucked up that sleeve!

* * *

 **A day early because I'm not around tomorrow :)**

* * *

Tara swirled her peppermint latte with a biscotti, making it just soft enough to break up in her mouth when she set it on her tongue.

The burst of flavour and texture was a great effort for less than five dollars at a mall cafe and she was glad she chose it as the spot to wait for Willow in. The café was full, but she'd managed to secure a small table in the corner by the window, exactly where she wanted to be so she could watch the shoppers pass by.

She hadn't needed to do much shopping, but Willow wanted to pick up a limited edition vodka for Becky only available in one particular store, and Tara loved the atmospheric bustle of people shopping during December.

She loved it especially more now she had Hanukkah to celebrate with Willow as well as Christmas. It made the whole month filled with holiday cheer and she was on the right side of sappy and sentimental to enjoy lapping it all up.

Though most of the people milling about were probably frantically looking for gifts, Tara could just relax and enjoy the hubbub. The cheerful music that hadn't been played enough to be annoying yet; the colourful bursts of tinsel and shiny baubles hanging from doorways to greet her everywhere she went; and the general waft of cinnamon that seemed to permeate the air no matter where she was, all mixed into a wonderful ambiance that no other time of year could seem to replicate.

There were children in the café enjoying hot chocolates, giddy after their visit to see the mall Santa. It filled Tara with joy to watch their silly smiles and hear their gleeful laughs, even if they seemed to be getting on the nerves of other patrons. She loved their cherub faces, rosy red cheeks and general frivolity from their morning of magic.

Not considering herself religious, but spiritual, she'd often wondered how she'd broach the concept of 'heaven' with her future children, but something she was sure of was that she'd carry on the 'Santa' tradition, at least when they were small. The elation and wonder was something she treasured even with children she barely knew and she couldn't wait to experience it with her own. It was another bonus of combining traditions with Willow - all the more joy to share.

After a little while, she spotted Willow coming through the entrance and she lifted her hand to indicate her presence.

Willow looked around to try and pick Tara out of the crowd, then finally spotted her and waved back. She pointed to the counter to say she was going up to order and made a gesture to ask if Tara wanted anything. Tara shook her head back to say she was fine, her hands still wrapped around her warm mug.

Willow returned minutes later with a mocha and gingerbread man on a plate.

"Hi sweetie," Tara greeted, leaning over to kiss Willow's cheek, "Did you get the present for Becky?"

Willow produced a box and handed it over the table for Tara to see.

"Uh huh, she'll love the disco ball flask," she said, happily munching the gingerbread man's head off, "You buy anything?"

Tara shook her head.

"I had a look, but there was nothing that caught my eye. Might have to see what the World Wide Web has to offer later, if you don't me borrowing your laptop."

Willow wiped her mouth as she swallowed.

"Of course not. Looking for something in particular?"

"A new dress," Tara answered.

"Ah," Willow replied with a nod, "Well you can go ahead and use it whenever you like. My password is TangoAlphaRomeoAlpha – all connected, new word capitals – 0-2-2-5, less than sign, 3. All numbers."

Tara blinked a few times; she'd forgotten it already.

"That's some password."

Willow blushed.

"It's secure. Anyway, it's almost always logged in. You've used it before."

Tara smiled gratefully and affectionately nudged Willow's foot under the table. Willow smiled and nudged back.

"Crazy out there," she commented, licking her upper lip when her mocha stained her mouth, "Glad we just do little presents. I was hearing totals in the multiple hundreds being rung up."

"Time with you is the real gift," Tara replied sweetly.

Willow reached for Tara's hand over the table.

"You know I love some mush on a Sunday afternoon."

They shared smiles and finished their coffees, then decided to set off on their way home and give their prime cafe real estate to some other weary shopper needing a caffeine fix.

They passed the North Pole set up on their way out, where all the kids were lining up excitedly to see Santa in his cabin. The children were happily clutching presents and the parents were admiring the photos of their precious offspring.

A little girl with a reindeer antler hairband and a red Rudolph nose skipped out carrying a candy cane. She dropped it when her skip was a little too much for her step.

Willow kneeled down and picked it up to hand it back to her with a big smile.

"You are just the cutest thing. Go fill your tummy with cane-shaped sugary goodness."

Willow happened to be wearing a green sweater and red jeans and the little girl looked at her wide-eyed before running away.

"Mommy, it's another elf!"

Willow straightened up, frowning and self-consciously touching her ears.

"Elf?"

"Maybe you were one in another life," Tara suggested, grinning, continuing on towards the exit.

"A Jewish one?" Willow asked, perplexed.

"Why not?" Tara asked, pursing her lips to stop from laughing.

Willow shrugged and took Tara's hand.

"I'll be your little elf if you want."

"Do I get to tug on your ears?" Tara asked with a mischievous smile.

Willow just waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Now, Tara, I know you're not suggesting anything with children present."

They crossed the threshold from building to sidewalk and Tara had a good look around.

"I don't see any kids right now."

She swooped in for a kiss and they both pulled away giggling a moment or two later.

They headed home, walking instead of grabbing the T, on Tara's insistence as she wanted to continue her voyeuristic shopping at the local stores of their neighbourhood and to walk through the Christmas market near their place.

They ended up getting some new Christmas ornaments, some fresh potatoes, carrots and parsnips for dinner, candied popcorn and nuts for snacks and Willow bought some homemade Christmas cookies.

When they finally got home, Tara started on dinner right away while Willow hung their ornaments and adjusted the ones already on the tree. It was something she did nightly, as she really enjoyed the effect it had on the room. Though Tara was the one to introduce the tree into their holiday traditions, it was Willow who decorated and maintained it. She adored the fairy lights, and missed having them as a furniture piece like they had had in their dorm room in college.

Willow had such nice memories of her first visits to Tara's dorm and by extension the beginning of their relationship, so the lights' soft twinkle always gave her that warming tingle of nostalgia through her bones.

Sometimes she just sat in front of it and enjoyed the reminiscence, which was exactly what she was doing when Tara brought dinner over.

Willow stood up and accepted her plate of pork chops and mashed potatoes with roasted carrots and parsnips. It was a perfect winter dinner, warming and filling. Willow even loved vegetables when Tara glazed and roasted them so nicely.

Willow curled her feet under her on the couch to eat and Tara sat in beside her, smiling at the new configuration of shiny baubles and bright tinsel.

"I knew my Jewish elf loved Christmas."

"It has its perks," Willow admitted, and nudged Tara's shoulder before digging into her meal, "This looks so good. Thanks for the applesauce on the side."

"You're welcome," Tara replied, cutting a small corner of her chop off so she could take a bite of everything in one go, "I remember the first time I made this for you and went all When Harry Met Sally across the table."

"My parents were kosher, I never got pork chops!" Willow defended, though smiling, "Especially not ones made with love and this amazing parmesan crust."

Tara leaned over and pecked Willow's cheek before taking her long-awaited bite.

As the evening went on, Willow relocated to the bedroom because she ate seconds and the scrapings of thirds of her dinner and was to full to get comfortable on the couch. Tara was feeling extra kind, so did the dishes then commandeered Willow's laptop as requested earlier.

Thankfully Willow was indeed logged in because all Tara remembered was 'Tango' and all her mind would offer as a follow-up was 'Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, Jive'. She didn't put together its real meaning.

After a while clicking around the websites she knew and trusted, she stood and made her way into the bedroom. She came over to the bed, made Willow scoot over, then sat in beside her.

"Look at this."

Willow paused the game she was playing on her phone, left it down on the bed beside her and took the laptop into her lap.

She adjusted it at the hinge so she had the right angle and looked at the screen. There was a webpage open for an online shopping retailer, displaying a red evening dress with a black lace overlay and sleek halter neck top.

"It's pretty," Willow said as she used the mouse to turn the picture and get a full 360° view, "Hot, actually. You know I love anything that shows a little back."

She handed the laptop back to Tara with a smile, who kept it open.

"Is it okay if I get it?"

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" Willow asked, puzzled.

Tara shrugged one shoulder, clicking through the available pictures again.

"Well, we said we'd talk about purchases of more than a hundred dollars with each other. This goes over by a few."

Willow had to blink a few times as she took in what Tara had said.

She had assumed that, and agreed with, Tara telling her not to spend more than a hundred dollars of her money when they'd had that conversation. She'd even imposed a much lower limit on herself and rarely bought anything that wasn't a real need. To have Tara come to her, truly displaying how she considered them equal with the money she was bringing in, was extremely touching and very affirming.

She felt herself get choked up and tried to cover by tensing her face. Tara tapped at the mousepad of the laptop, still considering the purchase.

"I wouldn't normally spend so much, but I finally got that salary discrepancy sorted and I really like it."

Willow took in a soft but deep breath, not wanting to alert Tara to her momentary wash of emotion.

"Only took them four months," she replied, needing to clear her throat one last time.

"I know," Tara replied through a sigh, "I probably could have pushed it, but we weren't in debt and I didn't want to rock the boat."

Willow put her hand on Tara's shoulder and squeezed. She would want Tara to have the dress anyway, but especially considering they had a few extra bucks from a backlog payment that Tara was given from not being paid overtime her first few weekends on call.

"It's a lovely dress, you should buy it."

Tara smiled in thanks and gestured towards the screen.

"Do you want to look for something too? We could save on the shipping."

"What do I need a new dress for?" Willow asked with a laugh, "All my fancy socialite events?"

"Well…" Tara replied, closing the laptop and leaving it safely on the floor, "That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Willow looked at Tara warily.

"Uh oh."

"The staff holiday party is on next week," Tara explained, turning herself on her side, "I wanted to see if I could find something first but I should go if I can make myself look respectable. Will you come with me?"

Willow's face grew pained.

"Tara, I don't know anyone you work with."

Tara began curling the ends of Willow's hair around her fingers.

"You won't be the only girlfriend. Please? I have to make an appearance and I don't know anyone socially."

Willow eyes furtively glanced to Tara's hand and she tried to resist the allure of hair-playing.

"You've gone for drinks with someone; Alison, Alice?"

Tara lifted her hand to Willow's face and brushed her thumb against Willow's lips.

"Just a couple of times and it was unwinding after work. We talked movies and trashy magazines and the like."

"And what, you're going to talk about Hamas under the mistletoe?" Willow retorted.

"Please, Willow?" Tara begged, rolling right on top of Willow and pressing their hips together, "I came with you to the senior centre."

Willow felt her heart speed up under Tara's touch and knew she was moments away from caving. Tara had her, literally, under her thumb, and had just displayed a great act of confidence in her and their relationship. There was no way she would say no, so she swooped in quickly to make it worth her while.

"I have a list of demands."

Tara nodded.

"Go."

"You can't run off and leave me," Willow insistent, needing some reassurance for her social anxiety, "You have to stick with me, even going to the bathroom."

"Agreed," Tara replied easily.

Willow considered her options, then dipped a finger into Tara's cleavage.

"You wear something sexy under that dress."

Tara smirked.

"Agreed."

"Surprise morning sex?" Willow suggested more than stated and Tara's smirk shot up near her eyes.

"Agreed."

Willow suddenly saw an opportunity to bring up something she'd been thinking about for a few days.

"You let me throw you a party for your birthday."

"A party?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow, "You hate parties."

"I hate parties for myself," Willow corrected, "But you're more than worthy. I think it could be fun to have a little get-together. Becky; some people from the centre; a couple of your friends from work; our nice neighbours – not the creepy one. Cement our adult status. We never had a housewarming."

Tara considered it a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, whatever, agreed," she said, then held up a friendly, wagging finger, "But nothing extravagant."

Willow always got a little turned on when Tara moved a finger that way and took great effort not to squirm and give herself away. She took Tara's hand in hers to get rid of the agitator.

"And…" she made herself finish with just minimal throat clearing, "You treat yourself to some pretty shoes to go with that dress. I have something in the closet I can throw on and it doesn't even clash."

Tara moved her forehead in to rest on Willow's.

"Agreed," she said softly.

Willow smiled and pointed to her cheek.

"Initial here."

Tara pecked Willow's left cheek.

"And here," Willow pointed to the other side, which Tara dutifully kissed.

Willow tapped the middle of her lips.

"And sign here."

Tara took Willow's lips tenderly whilst stroking the side of her face. She teased them with her tongue and pulled away with a nip. When they parted, Willow was smiling dreamily.

"That's some signature."

They bumped noses and Tara fell back to the side, pulling Willow's phone out from under her when it jutted into her back. Willow took it and leaned over to put it on the nightstand. On the return, she grabbed the laptop and set it up between them.

"Let's find you some killer heels!"

Tara crossed one leg over the other and watched Willow click into the shoe section of the website.

"Might as well avail of the free shipping you were talking about," Willow said, sighing impatiently as she waited for the page to load, "What were you thinking of?"

"Nothing too wild, but a little…" Tara started to answer.

"Fun?" Willow suggested.

"Fun," Tara confirmed with a grin, "Maybe some sexy soles or something."

They browsed through lots of winter boots and dazzling glittery high heels, but nothing that struck Tara as suitable for her dress or an office party. She ended up glancing idly out the window and watching as fresh snowflakes began to fall in the night sky.

"It's snowing again."

Willow glanced up and over.

"It tends to this time of year."

Tara just smiled.

"I just love the magic," she said with a wistful sigh, "Pillowing snow, sparkling stars. The wonder that just maybe if you look up, you'll hear those bells echoing throughout the sky and hear the 'Ho, Ho, Ho'. Even a lot of our most difficult kids in the group homes play up the Santa thing for the smallies. Sometimes they even crack a smile."

"Must be hard to have Christmas in a group home," Willow replied sympathetically.

Tara nodded.

"Everyone gets something, but it's small. I try to bring a bunch of candy around the week before. The cares don't thank me for the sugar rush, but it makes the kids share and feel a little special."

Willow delicately brushed Tara's hair to one side.

"That's so sweet."

Tara shrugged one shoulder.

"Least I can do."

Willow shook her head.

"No, it's over and above. But that's you."

She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Tara's lips, who smiled into it, then stood up off the bed.

"Come on."

Willow's brow creased in confusion.

"Where are we going?"

"To be cute," Tara replied with a laugh, "Come on."

Willow gestured towards the laptop.

"Your shoes."

Tara tugged on Willow's hands insistently.

"Come. On."

Willow obliged and followed Tara out into the living space. Tara wrapped her up in her coat and sent her out to the fire escape with a long, oblong white candle, already lit.

Willow wondered if she'd been sent out as some kind of punishment when finally Tara joined her with a flask and one of the Christmas cookies Willow had bought. Tara sat down beside her, close and poured some hot chocolate into the lid. She offered it to Willow and then broke the Christmas tree cookie in half for them to share.

Willow grinned.

"Okay. This is cute."

She took a sip and handed it back to Tara in exchange for her half of the cookie.

"Perfect excuse for Eskimo kisses."

She rubbed their noses together and Tara stole a smooch.

"I never need an excuse for kisses."

The snowfall was soft and hit their faces enough to feel it but not linger. The fire escape ledges were still caked from earlier snow, as were the window ledges adjacent. The street light was casting a glow up to them and the flicker of the candle shone on each other's faces.

"Snow isn't making the candle go out," Willow commented as she held it between her hands, "Glad I bought the extra-flamey ones."

Tara hovered her hand atop so the flame reflected in her palm.

"They're perfect for date night in the snow."

"Well that's _of course_ what I had in mind," Willow replied with a giggle, "Actually I have a whole criteria."

"You do, do you?" Tara challenged teasingly.

Willow nodded surely.

"Yup. Will they burn long enough that I can seduce Tara without worrying about errant wax or wayward flame; will the flame burn brightly enough to enhance mood lighting without being so bright as to undo the mood; is it perfumed and if so, is it subtle enough to not overshadow the wonder that is Tara-scent and finally, does the colour complement our décor nicely?"

Tara's lips quirked up on one side.

"One of these things is not like the other."

"They're all part of the larger picture," Willow explained.

Tara eyebrow arched on the same side as her quirked lips.

"What's the larger picture?"

Willow held the candle closer to Tara, so it illuminated her in the dark.

"The beautiful canvas that is your body."

"Ooh, complimenting me," Tara replied jokingly, "You won't need a candle as a wingman at this rate."

Willow tapped a snowflake from Tara's nose.

"It's just so easy, you have so much to compliment."

Tara inhaled softly while her belly flopped.

"You silver-tongued, red-maned fox."

Willow leaned in to whisper in Tara's ear.

"You're the one who's had their tongue in a red mane."

Tara turned her head in so their faces were _just_ touching.

"Keep this up and it'll be there again soon."

Willow swallowed audibly and delicately pressed their delightfully cold lips together.

"And until then I know exactly how to keep that tongue warm…" 

* * *

Willow awoke from a tickle, though not an unpleasant one.

She blinked sluggishly and smiled as the pleasant feeling continued to wash over her middle section. She cast her eyes to the clock, and saw it was still nice and early – she'd be able to turn over and snuggle Tara before alarms sounded and work called.

She turned over onto her other side, but was surprised to find Tara's already awake eyes staring back at her.

"Whoa," she said with a slight jump, startled, "Hi."

"Good morning," Tara greeted back, pressing her palm right into Willow's belly, making Willow realise exactly where the 'tickle' was coming from, "Wanna make it a great one?"

"Oh," Willow said, barely having a second to register before Tara was on top of her, "Okay."

She didn't need time to register Tara's lips on hers, responding immediately and returning it with sleepy, but not subdued passion. Her hips rose from the bed as Tara pulled at her pyjama strings and slipped her hand inside.

Tara slid her hand along Willow's pubic bone and gently through the soft hair on her mound. She gave little tugs, causing erratic hip jerks and stunted moans.

Willow only had Tara's panties to contend with so she easily brushed them aside and found her clit. She pulled Tara's bottom lip between her teeth and grazed the pad of her finger as Tara's clit throbbed.

"Awh," Tara moaned, her back arching and pressing her chest into Willow's.

Willow grabbed a fistful of Tara's sleep shirt from the back and whipped it over her head to throw the other side of the room. Tara was impressed with the forcefulness and yanked Willow's top up as she moved down to kiss her stomach.

The winter weather had made Willow turn towards hibernation; her running had turned to walking, which had then subsequently turned to staying inside and watching DVD boxsets she got from the library. She still rode the meals on wheels bike so was getting some exercise, but her defined muscles, especially those in her calves and abs had gone from rock hard to sort-of there if you felt around a bit and she flexed really hard.

Though Willow had noted in the summer time how her girlfriend enjoyed finding and feeling those toned muscles, there hadn't been a moment where Tara had been anything less than enthusiastic about sinking her fingertips and lips into Willow's now slightly softer body.

To Tara, Willow's body was just perfect by virtue of being Willow's. The only thing she did find extra exciting was finding something new to love – so while the muscles had been titillating, by the time the curves returned they were just as exciting all over again. The truth was though, there was always something new to behold, whether it was the pitch of a moan or the twitch of a muscle; so Tara never needed a reason to seek one out or to worry about things going stale – she just had to get under the covers and find out what awaited her today.

She dipped her tongue into Willow's bellybutton and swirled her tongue upwards. She knew those muscles were still there because they jumped under her touch, while further down they were clenching around Willow's opening, drawing her in.

She lifted her lips up to Willow's neck and entered her fully as her mouth pressed against Willow's pulse point. Strained groans passed Willow's lips, so Tara kissed her again, letting their vibrations pulse into her mouth and shoot straight down to her clit which was still mercilessly throbbing under her girlfriend's fingers.

Their hips rocked in an off-tempo rhythm that still managed to be in sync with each other. Both of their wrists were skating past each other, each moving fast to bring out the deep moans in each other.

Tara succumbed to the pleasure first, her lips pressed against but motionless against Willow's lips. The lack of motion caused Willow to open her eyes at the exact moment the orgasm hit Tara and made her facial features tremble in that vulnerable and oh-so-alluring way.

It was enough for Willow to set off her own climax, her neck straining back against the pillows as all the air rushed from her lungs.

Tara's mouth landed on Willow's throat when she slumped back into her. She pressed kisses right up to her chin and was about to undo her with another smouldering kiss when the alarm started bleating loudly.

They both glanced at it, then each other, and grinned lazily. Willow reached out and halfheartedly tapped the off button.

"Did you turn it off?" Tara enquired with a raised eyebrow and got a nod in return, "Not just snooze?"

Willow glanced over again and saw the snooze light was flashing. She blushed and hit it once again to off. She stretched her body languidly under her girlfriend and took in a nice, deep breath as Tara rolled off.

"There's the surprise morning sex requirement completed."

Tara's brow creased for a moment.

"Oh."

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stretched her arms before getting up to head towards the bathroom. On the way she dropped her panties and tossed them in the hamper, giving Willow a view of her wiggling ass out the door.

"I completely forgot about that."


	14. Chapter 14

**billy** – :)

 **jaiden83** – Password security is essential! (especially after she got her journal stolen)

 **sara** – Glad you're enjoying it, and nice to have you on board :)

 **gg** – Thanks!

* * *

Willow sat on the edge of the bed to pull on her bright green tights under her knee-length red dress, which was brightened with white polka dots.

She was delighted to be able to be her colourful self, while still being appropriately dressed. They hadn't been garments she'd bought particularly for the festive season, but every now and then her clashing sense of style worked out.

Tara was standing at the mirror, twisting and turning herself around in her brand new red evening dress with the black lace overlay.

"I love this dress but there's some serious VPL issues."

Willow padded over, shoeless, to Tara and embraced her from behind, eyeing her up in the mirror.

"Man, if that's the only price for looking so damn hot…"

She delicately traced the pattern of the lace on the bodice and turned her head in to smell the perfume on Tara's neck. Tara reached behind and stroked Willow's hair affectionately.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight."

"Are they nice?" Willow asked, gently bunching the material at Tara's stomach and smoothing it out again, "Your colleagues? You never talk too much about them, apart from your drinking buddy."

"There are no out and out assholes," Tara replied carefully, "A normal mix of people, with normal personality clashes. We're all professional. And don't call her my 'drinking buddy' in front of her."

Willow lifted an eyebrow.

"That sounds guarded."

Tara shook her head.

"Honestly, it's nothing bad. We just have to be pleasant, and they'll be pleasant too. You'll like Alice, and Mr. Evans is very kind-hearted. We won't stay too long if it's painful."

Willow backed away and sank to sit on the bed, clutching at her stomach dramatically.

"I hope I don't drink too much eggnog and we have to leave because of my tummy ache…"

Tara grinned through the mirror.

"I sure hope not."

Willow returned the smile and scooted over to get her shoes on. Tara nodded over, impressed.

"Look at you with a little kitten heel."

Willow blushed and smiled coyly.

"Trying to veer a little into sophistication land. Have to work my way up to those icicles on the end of those things you're about to put on."

Tara held up her new black stilettos, with accompanying red soles, by the straps and waved them around. She'd ended up finding them in a shoe store instead of online and nabbed a great deal on pair with a snapped strap that she was able to fix herself.

The 'fun' red soles made her feel a little sexy while the shoes remained classy enough to wear to a work event.

Willow had admired them while they were still in the box and Tara knew she was into them too.

"Don't pretend they don't turn you on."

"I'm not pretending anything," Willow grinned back, "You stamp and my panties will drop."

"Oh, now there's a super power," Tara replied, leaning back to put the shoes on, "I'll have to keep that in my arsenal."

Willow glanced down at her hand still on her stomach, feeling the awakenings of a grumble.

"Is there going to be food there?"

"Finger food," Tara replied, taking a make-up brush to fix up her blusher, "Go make a sandwich if you think you're going to be cranky."

"You know me so well," Willow said, passing by Tara to make her way out into the kitchen.

She bypassed the tuna for fear of stinky breath and worried that salami teetered too much on the garlic line to pass. She decided turkey and cheese and an additional teeth brushing would cover all angles, so made her sandwich and ate over the sink to prevent stains and crumbs.

She'd just popped the last corner into her mouth when Tara came out, fully made up, and made her choke.

Tara patiently walked over, poured a glass of water and handed it to Willow, who glugged it down and thumped her chest.

"Sorry," she breathed out as her airway cleared, "Wow. Hubba hubba."

"Do I look respectable?" Tara asked, unsure if maybe she shoes were a little too high.

"Professional but glamourous," Willow replied with a nod of her head, "You look great."

Tara kissed Willow's cheek, delicately so as not to smudge her make-up or pass on any of her lipstick.

"Thank you. And you look like my tasteful little elf."

"Tasteful or tasty?" Willow asked, doing a little twirl.

"Tasteful…for now," Tara replied with a sideways grin, accompanied with a wink and biting motion.

Willow grinned and it only widened as Tara sneakily pinched her butt. She blushed as she watched Tara go off to fetch her purse and took a breath to recover. When she was calmed again, she went off to re-brush her teeth, then joined Tara a few moments later.

They donned their warm jackets to set out onto the street.

There were seats on the T but they decided it wasn't worth the fifteen minutes of comfort to find themselves standing with old gum stuck to them. They huddled around a pole and kept a hand on each other' dresses to make sure they didn't fly up at any stage.

It was cold but thankfully un-icy, so they were able to walk, though quickly, to the office building without event. They rode the elevator alone and took the opportunity to do a mutual teeth check, 360° turn to check for any tucked-in-panties situation, and finally a shoe check for any stray toilet paper.

They gave each other the thumbs up and Tara gently pressed her own fingers to her lips, then to Willow's.

Willow smiled.

Although in theory she hated the restraint perfectly-applied lipstick put on kissing opportunities, she did love Tara's improvised sweetness.

"Remember, don't leave me," Willow whispered, right before the elevator doors pinged.

"Promise," Tara whispered back, winking at Willow again and linking their pinkies for as long as it took to the doors to open.

Jingly music was playing as they approached the glass doors, which had tinsel across the top as well as door decals of snowmen, Santa, reindeer and one Star of David. Willow pointed at it as Tara went to open the door.

"Token Jewish symbol?"

Tara shared a look of solidarity and slight shrug but Willow just smiled and waved it off. She didn't really care how denominational they were making the non-denominational party, as long as she got through it without embarrassing herself, or worse, Tara.

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree blasted through the air as they stepped into the office, which was kitted out with more tinsel, paper streamers, hanging ornaments and fake snow. There was a plastic tree in the corner, with some presents underneath.

"We did a Secret Santa thing," Tara explained, looking through her purse for the present she had.

"What did you get?" Willow asked, casting an eye round the room to get a feel for the people.

"I just prettied up some of my chutneys," Tara replied, finding the gift and leaving it under the tree, "It would have been some crappy gag gift otherwise and this didn't cost too much."

Willow bobbed her head, but suddenly registered one key word.

"Wait, _your_ chutneys?"

"Mmhm, the ones I've been making," Tara replied, offering a wave to a few people who spotted her and nodded a hello, "Like you told me to, months ago. You've been eating them for weeks."

" _You_ made those?" Willow asked in astonishment.

"They had no label," Tara reasoned, giving Willow a 'seriously?' look.

"I thought it was bohemian!" Willow countered, but shut up quickly when a brunette woman approached them, holding her arms out.

"Tara, great to see you," Alice greeted, kissing both of Tara's cheeks warmly, then looking at Willow with a slightly perplexed, though still pleasant smile, "Could Will not make it?"

Both Willow and Tara did visible double-takes.

"…sorry?" Tara asked eventually, eyes travelling from Alice back to Willow.

"You said you were bringing your boyfriend," Alice stated, looking between them both earnestly, "Will, isn't it?"

Willow's eyebrows were practically at the ceiling and Tara's mouth literally hung open. She clamped it shut quickly to save face, shook her head to rid the puzzlement and gestured both hands towards Willow.

"This is Will…ow. My girlfriend."

"Oh, sure," Alice replied with a clueless nod, "It's fine to bring a friend."

"No. My _girlfriend_ ," Tara repeated, her cheeks tinging a brighter pink, "M-my lover."

If there had been a record playing, a scratch would have been a perfect accompaniment to the silence that seemed to fall upon the room as everyone inched towards the apparent scene.

Alice just looked stunned and Willow looked on the verge of tears.

"Wow," she managed to get out in a shaky voice before turning on her little heels and marching down a hallway she hoped would lead to the bathroom.

"Willow," Tara said, trying to catch her wrist before she passed, then leaving the scene behind to follow her into the bathroom, "Willow, come on."

Willow went straight over to the sink and stared at herself in the mirror to psych herself out of letting any tears fall. When she heard the door close again, she turned around, angry.

"'Will', really? I didn't think you were one to play the fake hetero card."

Tara understood what Willow had inferred, so just approached her humbly, clasping both hands in front of her.

"Willow, I didn–"

One of the cubicle doors flung open and a girl waltzed over to them, hurriedly washed her hands and all but ran out of there. Tara added another name to the list of coworkers she'd have to avoid eye contact with for a while, but her priority was the broken look on her girlfriend's face.

"Willow, I didn't," she continued, pleadingly, "It's a misunderstanding."

Willow sniffled.

"She said you said you were bringing your boyfriend."

"I said partner," Tara clarified, "She assumed."

Willow could see that happening. People assumed all the time.

If Tara had never specified a 'boyfriend', then maybe she hadn't been as betrayed as she thought.

"I had to beg you to come," Tara said, chancing taking Willow's hands and succeeding in not having them pulled away, "Why would I do that if I was trying to pretend you were a guy?"

Willow could concede that point, but it triggered a whole slew of different emotions.

She felt embarrassed for reacting in such a silly way and felt guilty for jumping to the worst conclusion.

"Less guy and more gay," she said, sniffling one last time.

Tara smiled and closed the gap so they were hugging.

"I don't do water cooler chats, I work through lunch most days," she explained softly in Willow's ear, "There's always another form to fill out, another meeting to go to, another kid to place. I probably said 'bye Will' on the phone or said 'can't wait to get home to Will' once and assumptions were made. You saw out there, when I said 'girlfriend' she assumed 'friend'."

She pulled back to eye Willow and held her face gently.

"You know I'd never hide you on purpose. I love you. I'm so proud to be your girl."

She pressed her lips to Willow's, not caring about her lipstick.

Willow knew Tara could be a bit particular about that, so appreciated the gesture. She made a furtive wipe at her eye, then rolled them at herself.

"I'm sorry, she said you said you were bringing a boyfriend and…" she made a crazy gesture at her head, "Willow-brain."

Tara squeezed Willow's upper arms gently.

"You were nervous coming here and it got off to a bad start. I understand. I'm sorry it happened."

Willow ducked her head, even more embarrassed. The 'girlfriend' thing was bad enough, but her marching off had cemented an uncomfortable evening.

"Well the awkward level of the night just went up about 600%."

Tara could only agree and sighed.

"Let's just make the 'nog excuse and get out of here."

Willow shrugged one shoulder.

"If you want I can go to that diner across the street and you can do the required mingling and come get me when you're done."

"If I didn't have to see any of these people again, I'd just leave," Tara replied, puffing out a breath, "I don't know whether to go or not."

"I get it," Willow nodded.

"Would you be really uncomfortable staying?" Tara wondered, hoping she wouldn't have to face everyone alone.

"You want me to?" Willow asked, lifting an eyebrow, "Stay, I mean."

"Of course I do," Tara replied softly, leaning in to peck Willow's lips before taking both her hands, "Okay. We'll go out and say you had an eyelash issue. They'll know we're lying but they'll be more comfortable having an excuse to go on. We'll get a drink, make awkward small talk and bow out. In?"

"In," Willow agreed, relieved to still be in Tara's good books, "You smudged your lipstick."

Tara found her lipstick and carefully reapplied it. They did another three-point check on each other and headed back out, hand in hand this time. They shared a look intended to boost confidence before finally rounding the final corner back into the office.

They got the sidelong glances and murmurs they were expecting, though with some genuine smiles littered in there too. Alice spotted them, halted the conversation she was in and came over to them apologetically.

"I'm very sorry about the misunderstanding."

"It's okay, I should've realised before," Tara replied for them, hoping her cheeks had returned to a normal colour, "I'm sorry if we caused a scene."

"Idle gossip, you were due your fifteen minutes. Someone will get drunk later and do something stupid and everyone will forget all about you," Alice replied kind-heartedly, "Why don't you both get a drink and grab a plate. The pigs in blankets are surprisingly good."

Willow heard 'pigs in blankets' and instantly made a move for the table. Tara shot Alice a grateful look and joined Willow, though made a beeline for the wine instead. She took one of the plastic wine glasses and poured a generous cup.

"That's your friend, isn't it?" Willow asked as she nibbled on some pastry.

"Sure is," Tara replied, taking a much-needed sip of wine, "Tonight, my very best friend."

Willow smirked as Tara cradled her glass like a child.

"I meant the woman."

Tara blushed again and cleared her throat.

"Yes. She was very nice about it."

Willow nodded an agreement and debated her drink choice, but decided to stick with red solo cup of soda to be on the safe side.

An hour passed of Tara moving around the room, flittering in and out of conversations with colleagues and their partners while Willow remained at her side, mostly silent.

Willow was glad she wasn't being forced into chit-chat as she always managed to put her foot in her mouth. She smiled and nodded appropriately, though she found herself almost falling asleep as she waited for the boss, Mr. Evans, to finish some story about a chicken on a golf course.

"So then the chicken putts a birdie!" Mr. Evans finished with a belly laugh to match his portly front.

There was the obligatory laughter all around for the oft-told story and Mr. Evans walked off, pleased as punch with himself. Tara noticed Willow's somnolent state and tugged gently on her sleeve to rouse her.

"Hey, I think we can sneak out. I've said hello to everyone and definitely made my memorable stamp."

"Okay, baby," Willow replied with an easy smile, willing to go along with whatever Tara wanted after her display earlier.

They brought their cups over to throw in the thrash and were about to make a quick exit when Mr. Evans appeared from his office, clumsily dressed in a Santa suit.

"Ho, ho, ho," he said jollily as he walked over to the tree, "Do we have good boys and girls here?"

Willow cringed; that seemed entirely creepy coming from a middle-aged man in a room full of adults. She looked to Tara who was hiding her cringe with a not-too-convincing smile.

Tara glanced at Willow and made a motion to say they'd leave as soon as the gift giving was over. Willow grabbed herself another couple of mini quiches to load up on and hung back while 'Santa' gave out the gifts.

There were lots of gag gifts, some innocent like mugs with captions, some less so like beer holders shaped like boobs. The secrecy seemed to lower people's inhibitions or fear of sexual harassment claims.

A woman who Willow thought she remembered being introduced to as 'Jamie' received Tara's chutneys and opened them then and there to dip crackers into. They ended up going around the room to much praise, but Tara stayed quiet when calls were made for the chef to reveal themselves.

Finally it came to Tara's gift and Willow noticed a woman standing right at the back behind everyone suddenly cower and cringe, then straighten up to try and seem normal. It puzzled Willow until she saw Tara tear off the packaging of her gift to reveal a pack of flavoured condoms.

The room went silent again, but Tara just held up the box and gave it a shake with an obliging smile on her face.

"Blow Me Bubblegum. My favourite."

Willow's head reeled but everyone else burst into laughter. After a moment, Willow smiled too, thinking that that had actually lifted any tension left from earlier amongst Tara's coworkers.

Some were impressed by her humour and others by her good nature, but Willow definitely noted a nod of respect generally coming her girlfriend's way.

Tara snuck out when people fell back into conversations and fetched their jackets. As she put her jacket on, she found the party invitations in her pocket.

She held them up to Willow unsurely.

"Should I still…?"

Willow nodded.

"If you want to."

Tara batted them around in her hand for a moment, then blew out a breath of courage, smiled at Willow and went to discreetly hand them out to the few people she'd decided to ask. She was friendly with a few coworkers, and she passed them out she realised maybe there was more affection for her than she realised as most pulled her in to a hug at the same time to say goodbye.

Tara came back to Willow clearly pleased with herself and took her hand.

"You know, I'm glad we came."

"I'm glad you're glad," Willow replied with a smile for her girlfriend, "It almost feels like all that stuff before was a whole other night."

"Let's leave it in that 'other night'," Tara replied, feeling a ring in her ear as they left the music behind, "Right now all I want is a night where I can get out of these shoes."

"You're definitely owed a foot rub," Willow said, pressing the elevator button, "And did you see them all, loving your chutneys. Why didn't you say they were yours?"

Tara shook her head.

"I had enough attention tonight."

They stepped into the elevator and Willow embraced the moment of privacy to lean in against Tara, hugging her and resting her head on her girlfriend's chest. At the last moment an arm came between the doors and Alice jumped in, dressed to leave as well.

Willow disentangled herself with a blush but Alice passed no comment. The elevator descended and Alice offered them a smile.

"Thanks for the invitation. I didn't have any New Year's plans."

"It's Tara's birthday on the 1st, so we thought we'd do a combo party," Willow explained, glancing to Tara with a tender smile, "We've never really had the chance, being in college and all."

"Excellent," Alice replied, friendly, "I look forward to it. Good night, ladies."

They exchanged goodbyes and walked in separate directions once on the street. The T ride home seemed longer than coming in, as both were getting a bit weary on their feet. Tara needed a hand to hang onto getting up the stairs in their building and had her shoes off before they even got in the door.

"Killer heels equal killer ache," she said, marching straight into the bedroom to undress and hang her clothes away, as it was not the kind of dress that fared well crumpled on the floor.

Willow joined her, but just flopped down on the bed and used her toes to unstrap her shoes and let them fall off. She glanced over to watch Tara shake out her hair and turned herself on her side.

"Hey, how did you get over the panty line issue?"

Tara looked over her shoulder alluringly as she untied the halterneck of her dress.

"I'm not wearing any," she said, the dress dropping to the floor to reveal just that, "Does that count as 'something sexy', as per your demands?"

Willow's eyes grew wide at her girlfriend's boldness and just stared at her bare ass in shock. Tara grinned and picked her dress up to hang.

Willow blinked as Tara bent out of sight and took in a slow breath.

"Something else, missy," she said when she was recovered, leaning on her upturned palm and lifting an eyebrow, "What in the hell do you know about 'Blow Me Bubblegum'?"

Tara chuckled.

"Remember when I went to the sex shop to buy you a vibrator? I was 'recommended' them before my intentions became clear."

Willow chuckled and spotted the box poking out of Tara's jacket, which was sitting on the back of the chair at the vanity table. She turned herself around so her feet were at the head of the bed and she could reach enough to pluck them out.

"I've never even seen one," she said, then she read the box, "A sweet treat for your sweetheart."

Tara let out a soft sigh of comfort as she changed into comfortable pyjamas.

"You've never seen one?" she asked as she tied the strings on her pants.

"Have you?" Willow asked, looking over, surprised.

"In health class," Tara answered, coming over to lie with Willow.

"Ah," Willow replied with a bob of her head, "I got out of health by doing AP Bio."

She turned the box in her hands and glanced at Tara.

"Can I look at one?"

Tara grinned.

"You've already smoked pot, condoms must be next on the list of experimentation."

Willow blushed and bumped Tara's shoulder playfully, then took the outer plastic packaging off of the box. Her thumbs pushed the lid up and she took out one of the little plastic squares. She turned it over in her hand, then brought it up to her mouth and caught the corner in her teeth, tearing it open.

Tara held a hand up to her mouth to conceal a laugh, not very successfully.

"Did you just rip it open with your teeth?"

"That's what they do on TV!" Willow replied, obliviously.

Tara poked Willow in the shoulder.

"If you'd gone to health class you would have learned that that's the best way to make them tear without you noticing."

Willow smiled sheepishly.

"I'd be a lousy straight girl."

Tara smirked and Willow held the packet upside down to empty the condom into her hand.

"Ew, it's all slimy!" she said, dropping it onto the bed with a grimace.

She poked it again as if to make sure it wouldn't bite, the moved it around until she figured out the proper way to unroll it.

"That seems…long," she commented, slipping her fingers in to use as a model, "If my fingers were a penis they'd only need half a one."

"If your fingers were a penis, it would be very difficult to eat soup," Tara replied as if it was very sage advice.

Willow looked at Tara quizzically and resisted bursting out laughing.

"Yes, you're right," she said, trying to remain serious, "Of all of the things, that would definitely cause me the most consternation."

She shook her head at her girlfriend and rotated her fingers around in front of her.

"What's the little tip for––wait, never mind I get it," she said, saving herself from the embarrassment of explanation.

As was her style, however, she soon found herself in a different embarrassing situation as she extended her tongue to it. It instantly recoiled in horror back into her mouth.

She batted at her tongue with her other hand to try and rid it of the rubbery taste.

"Ew, ew, ew!"

"Why did you lick it?!" Tara asked, face scrunched up in disgust.

"To see if it tasted like bubblegum!" Willow replied defensively, flicking the condom until it was off her fingers, then wiping them free of the slime on the sheet, "Dicks must taste awful if that's the preferred cover-up."

A shudder went down Tara's back.

"Jeez, Will, you're drying me up like the Sahara."

Willow tossed the condom across the room so it landed in the trash can and tucked the rest of the box closed.

"Sorry. Should we give these to Becky or just toss the rest in the trash?"

"Becky, I guess," Tara answered, taking the box and turning around to leave it on the nightstand, "No point in wasting them. Maybe she's a bigger bubblegum fan than you."

"Ha ha," Willow replied sarcastically, turning herself back around to join Tara.

She curled herself around Tara's side and rubbed her foot, still in their green tights, against her girlfriend's pantyhosed shin.

"We should put our little Christmas tree up soon," she said, sighing contently, "Hanukkah starts on the 21st this year."

"We'll put it and the menorah out together," Tara replied with a sweet smile.

Willow traced the 'BC' letters on the old t-shirt Tara was wearing and glanced upwards coyly.

"I'll have to root out the dreidel…"

Tara delicately pushed some hair behind Willow's ear.

"Now there's something to look forward to."

Willow traced the hint of a smirk on Tara's lips.

"I hope you're not thinking of something that would defile the dreidel's good name."

"What I'm thinking of would downright sully it," Tara replied in an evocative whisper.

Willow giggled, liking the tickle of Tara's breath on her ear.

"Still probably not as dirty as some of those people in your office were thinking when you walked in tonight in that dress," she replied, giving Tara a pointed look, "They were staring. Guys and girls."

Tara shrugged easily.

"I'm not worried. About guys or girls."

Willow smiled and rested her head back on Tara's chest.

"Good. This bed should be a worry-free zone." 

* * *

Willow awoke with a start, sweating and out of breath.

She got out of bed and on shaky legs and wandered into the kitchen where she downed a glass of water, but almost choked it back up when she got an unnerving flashback.

She wiped her face down in the bathroom and returned to bed, though couldn't seem to get comfortable. After a few minutes, a hand snaked across her waist.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Tara mumbled sleepily, but with concern.

Willow's eyes darted back and forth, conflicted.

"I had a nightmare," she admitted finally, with a deep gulp.

Tara cosied herself up beside Willow, eyes still closed.

"What about, sweetheart?"

Willow winced; that was the worst pet name Tara could have chosen.

"I don't want to tell you," she replied cagily.

Tara stroked Willow's arm, to induce calmness.

"It's okay, you can tell me anything."

Willow swallowed audibly and hesitated before speaking.

"I had a dream…a monster was destroying the city," she said, before her face scrunched up, "…it was a giant penis who blew bubblegum bubbles to catch people in and suffocate them."

Tara was entirely silent for a moment, before her eyes flickered open and finally a snort escaped.

"You had a nightmare about a bubblegum-wielding dick monster?"

Willow crossed her arms over her chest grumpily.

"Oh, shut up."

Tara pursed her lips closed to stop and composed herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, gently patting Willow's stomach in circles for comfort, "Okay, look, it's over now."

Willow looked at Tara with worry.

"What if it comes back?"

Tara kept comforting Willow, adding little kisses to her shoulder.

"Well then, you just have to figure out a way to defeat the monster and then you won't have a nightmare about it anymore because it won't be around."

Willow cast her eyes unsurely towards Tara.

"How?"

Tara tapped her fingers against Willow's tummy, thinking.

"What if they brought in a giant vagina in to capture it?" she asked, completely in earnest but not without a _little_ bit of mirth showing in a sideways smile.

Willow's nose scrunched up.

"I think then I'd just be dreaming about straight sex."

"Good point," Tara replied, lips pursing again but in thought this time, "Okay, how about they fly a giant condom over it so it can't blow the bubblegum anymore?"

Willow considered that, it seemed like a reasonable idea.

"And then everyone starts talking about their grandma," Tara added seriously.

"Why would they do that?" Willow asked in confusion.

"I hear it's a giant boner killer," Tara replied, deadpan.

Willow looked shocked for a moment, then grabbed the pillow from under her head and started smashing it over Tara's body, who squirmed and laughed.

"I will get you and your 'giant boner killer' Tara Maclay! NEVER say those words or anything like them in this bed again!"

"You're the one dreaming about penises!" Tara retorted, giggling as Willow started to tickle her too.

Eventually Tara fought and won possession of the pillow and tucked it back in under Willow's head as she rolled on top of her.

"How about I give you something that'll stop you thinking about _everything_?"

The glint in Tara's eye was enough to do just that already, so Willow could only lie back and close her eyes.

Tara disappeared under the covers, an arm popping out of the side moments later to drop Willow's pyjama bottoms and panties to the floor. She nibbled and licked at Willow's thighs, but it didn't take her long to get her wet enough for her tongue to slide in and gather the moisture.

Willow's moans were just loud enough to float down to her and keep her engaged. Willow clit became engorged as she licked around it and she teased the little bud so much that Willow came as soon as she wrapped her mouth around it and gave one, long suck.

She felt the wild jumping around her ears and that last intense groan before Willow's body went limp again. Tara wiped her mouth on the sheet and snuck back up over the blanket to take her girlfriend in her arms.

Willow was already asleep, her nightmare replaced by dreams much sweeter than bubblegum.


	15. Chapter 15

**FivebyFive89** – Glad you enjoyed it! A more interesting nightmare than forgetting your lines in Death of a Salesman, anyway…

 **billy** – Thank you very much :)

 **sara** – They are, that's why I love writing them! :)

 **gg** – Thanks! Glad you got a laugh!

* * *

Willow was straining grated potato through a kitchen towel when the front door opened unexpectedly.

Tara came in with snow on her shoulders, which fell as she took off her jacket with a shiver.

"Tara," Willow greeted with a warm smile, "What are you doing home so early?"

Tara smiled back as she hung her jacket up.

"Everyone was knocking off early and I wanted to be home for sunset so we could light the menorah together."

"That's so sweet, thank you," Willow replied sincerely, "I was just preparing stuff for latkes. Feel like a snack?"

"Oh, yes please," Tara replied, walking over into the kitchen, "What can I do?"

"Heat some oil in the skillet for me?" Willow requested sweetly.

Tara rolled up her sleeves and got to work coating a skillet. She held her palm flat over it to feel it heating up while Willow made up the mixture.

"Ready to go when you are," Tara advised, stepping back to give Willow room, "Will I open us a bottle of wine?"

"Hey, why not, the holiday season is upon us," Willow replied with a grin.

She put four spoons of the mixture on the skillet and gently smoothed them out. The bottle of wine popped as the cork was pulled and Tara poured them two generous glasses.

"Go sit, this is a one woman job," Willow said, laying out some paper towels to dry off the latkes as they were turned out.

Tara left Willow's glass on the coffee table and sat on a cushion on the floor near the window, where the menorah was sitting.

"A few people told me to say Merry Christmas to you, you know," she said, taking the first sip from her wine, "You were a hit at the office party."

"My silent shuffling beside you must have made an impression," Willow commented, reaching up into a cabinet to take down some plates, "Did you tell them I'm Jewish?"

"I said I would pass on the sentiment," Tara replied easily, "Besides, you celebrate Christmas with me."

"And I love celebrating with you," Willow replied, peering down to see the skillet at eye level, "These are one of the only things I ever actually cooked for myself. Bubbe's secret recipe."

Tara closed her eyes and inhaled the scent starting to float over.

"I look forward to them."

Willow straightened up and smiled over at her girlfriend looking so relaxed.

"Not too long now."

A few minutes later she came over with a plate and some paper towels and sat opposite Tara. Tara's eyes blinked open and she smiled tenderly.

"There you are."

"Here I am," Willow replied, leaning over to peck Tara's lips.

She put the plate down and folded her legs.

"Looks like prime sunset time to me."

"Let's do it," Tara replied, pushing herself up so her back was straight.

Willow lit the shamash candle, which they used to light the first candle together. Their hands clasped it together and they lit the wick, which flamed up with the darkening sky in the background.

"So pretty," Tara said, watching its little dance.

"Like you," Willow replied, leaning over for another smooch.

Tara turned her head in for maximum lip contact.

"I love when you're in a smoochy mood."

Willow brushed her lips against Tara's once more, making their noses bump together at the same time. She enjoyed the closeness for a moment, then pulled back and put the plate between them.

"Get 'em while they're hot."

Tara picked one up through a paper towel and began to eat it.

"This is delicious," she said, wiping her thumb on the corner of her mouth, "Well done."

Willow was more than pleased Tara liked her latkes and ate her own happily.

"Bubbe would make them all the time. I 'helped' with a full Hanukkah dinner sometimes…but the latkes we made so often I had them down pat by the time I was six. I just wasn't allowed use the oil."

Tara smiled thinking of a little Willow, but also knew she had been a bit of a tiny terror.

"Probably wise."

They finished the latkes and Tara brought the plates in to wash up. She knew there were leftovers for dinner whenever they wanted it, so gave the kitchen a quick wipe down so they would only have dinner plates to deal with later.

She returned to Willow and sat beside her this time. She put her hand loosely around Willow's shoulders and clinked her wine glass against hers.

"What do you think, can we count the wine as our sharing thing?"

Instead of having to pay for gifts for all eight nights, they picked something to share each evening – a DVD, some music, chocolates etc. It made it special without breaking their modest budgets and allowed them to get something small for each other for Christmas, as was Tara's tradition.

Hanukkah had always been about family for Willow anyway, at least as long as her Bubbe was around and the only part she'd enjoyed afterwards was her memory. She loved that they used the holiday to come together, and it showed her she didn't need to be rich to make it special.

"Unless you've got a better suggestion," Willow replied, leaning her head in to kiss the exposed part of Tara's neck.

There was one thing in particular Tara loved to share.

She gently tickled Willow's ear and turned her chin up so their eyes met. She ran her finger along Willow's jaw.

"So what do you think…dinner and dreidel or dreidel and dinner?"

Willow felt a rushed breath leave her lungs.

"To eat or not to eat?"

Tara smirked.

"Oh, there'll be eating involved either way."

Willow's pulse sped up and she knew she had a flush to match.

"We did just have a snack. We can hold out for a bit."

Tara used the arm around Willow's shoulder to pull them closer together. She kissed her, hard.

Willow blindly reached back to leave her wine glass down so she could put her arms around Tara's waist.

Tara scooted closer and reached to leave her glass on the coffee table. Her hand cupped Willow's cheek and she deepened the kiss.

Willow squeezed Tara's hips as she felt her girlfriend's delicate tongue play with hers. Its soft touch evoked a physical sensation as if it was doing it much lower.

She could just kiss Tara forever.

After a couple of minutes of pure, unadulterated making out, Tara broke to take a breath and some wine. Willow took the opportunity to root out the dreidel and spun it between them on the floor.

"Let's mix it up a bit this year."

"What do you suggest?" Tara asked as she relaxed back against the couch.

Willow grinned.

"Winner gets a full strip show from the loser."

Tara would be happy to see that wager go either way.

"I'm in."

Willow offered her pinky to lock their contact, which Tara hooked her pinky around and shook.

"Game on."

Willow had a chocolate coin stash that she kept around the holidays because it reminded her of the good times of her childhood, so she grabbed a bunch and split them between the two of them.

"Get ready to strip the night away," Willow taunted playfully.

"How about runner up gets to undress the other?" Tara suggested with a matching grin.

Willow nodded.

"You do deserve a prize."

"You know I'm great at dreidel," Tara challenged, "You'll be eating those words…in fact you can spell them. With your tongue. Between my legs."

Willow flushed right up to her cheeks. She knew her palms were too sweaty to spin, so she thrust the toy towards Tara.

"You go first."

Tara set the dreidel on the floor and spun the topper, beginning their game.

Tara was normally pretty good at clearing the pot quickly, but Willow seemed to be holding her own in the game and it went on for longer. While Willow took a turn, Tara turned her head to lift her wine glass to her mouth.

She kept it in her hand instead of putting it back on the coffee table, so her gaze returned to the game sooner than Willow had anticipated. She was caught red-handed turning the toy on its other side.

Tara's eyes grew wide.

"Cheater!" she exclaimed, then grinned as her wine sloshed around her glass, "You forfeit."

Willow pouted.

"No fair!"

"And cheating is?" Tara asked with a quirked eyebrow, then twirled her finger, "Up you get."

Willow grudgingly got up and Tara tipped her wine glass towards her.

"And be happy about it."

Willow couldn't help smile. She picked out some Marvin Gaye and put it on low, just to add some ambiance. Tara pushed herself off the floor to sit on the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table, crossing one ankle over the other.

She settled in, holding her glass comfortably in her lap and smiled.

"Whenever you're ready."

Willow stood around awkwardly for a moment before starting to unbutton her shirt.

"Make it sexy!" Tara called out.

"I don't need comments from the peanut gallery thank you very much!" Willow replied indignantly.

Tara just looked at her expectantly, so Willow turned her back. She finished unbuttoning her shirt and shrugged each shoulder off, looking over each as she did so. She saw Tara grinning and she grinned back.

She dropped her shirt and Tara sent her a cheer. She popped the button on her pants, reached behind and pulled the seat of them and her panties down to flash her ass for just a second before covering herself up again.

She knew Tara was squirming and she loved it, so dropped her pants again but left her panties on.

She turned, snapped her bra off and threw it at Tara, who held it at her face and showed off her lustful eyes. Willow came over and climbed into Tara's lap.

Tara curved her hands around Willow's hips and snapped the waistband of her panties. Willow jumped and felt herself flood.

Tara pressed a finger against the front of Willow's panties, feeling her wetness as she pushed in against her girlfriend's clit.

Willow's thighs trembled and she pushed her hips further into Tara's lap.

Tara brushed Willow's panties to the side and sank her fingers between her girlfriend's lips. She dragged them along until they were wet, then slid gently over Willow's clit. Just as the put the first hint of friction there, she moved her mouth to Willow's and suckled on her bottom lip.

Willow moaned into Tara's mouth and returned the kiss passionately. Her hips rolled into Tara insistently.

Tara loved Willow's eagerness and was quick to reward her, sliding her middle finger down to enter Willow. Her thumb stayed on Willow's clit and she thrust her wrist upwards to stimulate her inside and out at the same time.

Willow's hands rested on the exposed part of Tara's chest from the circle neck of her shirt. Her fingers brushed over Tara's collarbone and the edges of her neck as she kissed her deeply to rid all of the pent-up tension building in her belly.

Tara was almost struggling to keep up with the kiss, such was its vigour, but found it so intoxicating that she couldn't help but respond as much as she was being given.

She added another finger inside Willow and could feel she was near eruption.

Willow placed a palm flat on the wall behind Tara to keep herself steady as the bubbling in her belly started to overflow. Her other hand bunched the material of Tara's shirt and her head lolled into Tara's neck as she came hard, contracting around her girlfriend's fingers.

Tara felt a mix between a sigh and a groan hit her neck through hot breath and it sent a pang between her legs. Her thighs shifted uncomfortably and just a moment later, Willow's head pulled back. She glanced downwards, then she looked Tara in the eye.

Tara watched Willow's glassy eyes, then as her lips spread into a smirk.

Tara was instantly wet and her breath released shakily.

Willow lifted herself off Tara, secured her panties in front of herself and dropped to her knees. She reached under Tara's skirt, hooked her pantyhose underwear under her fingers and pulled them down and off Tara's ankles.

Tara scooted her butt closer to the edge as Willow pushed up the material of her skirt.

Willow palmed Tara's thighs and spread them enough to pop her head between. Her lips were the first to touch Tara's heated flesh and her tongue was quick to follow and get that first taste.

Tara's head fell back against the back of the couch and she lifted a foot back onto the coffee table to open up more. She felt the result instantly as Willow's mouth covered her in deep kisses and that tongue teased her opening.

Her lips pursed to contain a moan, but then she realised she didn't have to contain it and let them flow freely down to Willow's ears. She looked down and felt a deep clench watching Willow's head bobbing between her thighs.

She very gently pushed Willow's head a little upwards, and Willow very obligingly focused in on her clit straight away. Tara's hand fell down to clutch a cushion instead, tightening in the fabric as her stomach toiled and tightened in turn.

Willow's mouth was, as ever, on point and Tara was on the brink quickly.

Willow felt the quaking around her ears and then the hot gush she wanted to induce. Tara's delighted moans filled her and felt a delayed aftershock of her own. It took her a moment to realise that she had clawed Tara's thighs and left little scratches.

She popped out to apologise, but Tara just looked blissfully happy.

Willow crawled to kneel between Tara's legs and kissed up her throat to her mouth. When she'd planted a nice long one on her girlfriend's lips, she pulled back and went around the room gathering her clothes. She went into the bedroom to throw them in the laundry hamper and change into pyjamas.

When she returned, Tara was just starting to come around, still with that blissful smile on her face.

"…I'm very glad you introduced me to Hanukkah."

She lifted her panties under her butt again and sighed happily as she smoothed her skirt.

"And that I get seven more days of it."

Willow walked over with a devilish grin.

"And I'm very glad I still have my consolation prize…"

She climbed back into Tara's lap and kissed her.

"Tonight I will dress you down with my eyes…then my hands…"

She nipped at Tara's bottom lip with the promise of more to come.

"…and then my mouth." 

* * *

Willow appeared from the bedroom with messy bedhead, tying her robe around her middle.

"What do I hear sizzling?" she asked, her eyes looking over her nose to spot what Tara was doing in the kitchen.

Tara flipped what she was making in the pan.

"Christmas pancakes."

"Ooh," Willow replied, padding over to Tara in her warm winter socks, "What makes them Christmassy?"

"They have cranberries in them," Tara answered, smiling over her shoulder, "Also they're being made on Christmas morning."

Willow embraced Tara from behind, chin on her shoulder.

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Tara replied softly, "These are almost ready, grab what you want to put on them."

Willow got out the maple syrup and whipped cream and Tara made them a stack each on a plate. Willow covered hers with syrup and cream, Tara put a dash of syrup on hers and they both decided to eat on the couch.

"I remember our first Christmas," Willow commented as she cut into her pancakes, "You said you wanted to make me pancakes."

Tara nodded with a loving smile.

"And now I have."

Willow licked some syrup from the corner of her moth.

"This definitely falls under 'tradition' category."

"It's great, because kids will love them too," Tara replied cheerily.

Willow slowly smiled.

"Yeah, they will," she said, then leaned over to press a sticky kiss to Tara's cheek, "I love these. Makes me excited for dinner."

"With a proper portion of turkey this time," Tara teased, "I'm glad we've been able to cook traditional food for each other. It's fun and great to share it."

"It has," Willow agreed, "It reminds me that we're a family already."

Tara left her empty plate on the coffee table and put her arm around Willow. She kissed above Willow's ear and inhaled from her softly.

"I love you so much. I'm so happy you're my family."

Willow had a gob full of pancake, but leaned her head onto Tara's chest. Willow wiped her hands with the paper towel she had, tossed it onto her empty plate and cuddled into Tara properly.

"Now this is what it's all about. I bet I could find Snoopy if I had a flick around the channels. Want to watch with me?"

"Absolutely," Tara agreed, reaching for the remote and handing it to Willow.

Sure enough, Willow found the Charlie Brown Christmas Special on a couple of different channels. It was just starting on one of them, so she left it on that channel and swung her legs into Tara's lap.

Tara rubbed Willow's feet through her socks and they enjoyed the cartoon together, laughing at the famous Snoopy dance when it came about.

"You do it better," Tara said.

Willow looked at her, incredulous.

"Tara, no one can do the Snoopy dance better than Snoopy! It's _his_ dance."

"Okay, okay," Tara backed off, with a little smile for how seriously Willow took her cartoons.

The show ended with Willow in high spirits. She put on a music channel that was playing Christmas chart toppers and took some tinsel from their little tree to use as a scarf.

"Presents!"

Tara had to giggle as the tinsel swished about but her attention was turned elsewhere when Willow bent over to get the gifts under the tree.

She cast her eye over Willow's wriggling rear and brought her eyes up at exactly the right moment to stop from getting caught.

Willow walked over on her knees and presented Tara with a not too well wrapped, oddly shaped gift.

"It's kinda stupid…"

Tara took it in her hands and leaned over to kiss Willow's cheek.

"Thank you."

The gift was heavy for its size, so Tara was careful unwrapping it. When she pulled the paper off, she saw what looked like two green balls sitting in oblong green bath. She noted by the little holes on top that they were salt and pepper shakers, but it took another minute or so to realise what they were.

When she did, she beamed over at Willow.

"Two peas in a pod. Just like us."

She put the set down carefully and pulled Willow closer by the hands.

"I love you."

She held Willow's cheeks gently and leaned in to kiss her.

Willow enjoyed the lingering kiss and was still smiling when they pulled away.

"I love you too. I know it's–"

"Perfect," Tara interjected, "Now I can remember how sweet you are every time we have dinner."

She dropped to her knees and pulled Willow into a hug. Willow held on tight and they parted with another quick peck.

Tara went to the tree and got Willow's present from under it. It was long and flat, and Willow inspected it thoroughly before finally ripping into the paper. Her eyes turned as wide as saucers as she took in her brand new different coloured pen set.

"Mine were running out!"

"I know," Tara replied softly.

Willow threw her arm around Tara.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Their lips met again and Willow sighed happily as their noses nuzzled.

"I love Christmas kisses. There's so many of them."

Tara slid her hands down to Willow's hips and pulled her close.

"Why don't we have a walk to work up our appetites and then warm up with a soak while the turkey cooks?"

Willow grinned.

"Did I mention I love Christmas?"

They went into the bedroom and dressed; Willow in red jeans and a warm, red sweater and Tara in thick tights, a black and white dress and a fur-lined brown jacket.

As soon as they were gloved up, their hands came together and they walked onto the street. They strolled leisurely through the neighbourhood, spotting other couples doing much the same.

"This is really nice," Willow commented, "I get what you mean when you talk about the magic in the air now."

"It's there, isn't it?" Tara asked, reaching up to catch a snowflake falling from a tree, "I know it's silly when we're not religious, but…I love it."

"It's not silly," Willow replied, squeezing Tara's hand, "Religions don't have the monopoly on magic."

She leaned in to whisper in Tara's ear.

"I think our bed would agree."

Tara's cheeks, already red from the cold, flushed even further. She couldn't help but smile and shook her head at Willow.

"You would dirty anything."

"Only if you're involved," Willow replied with a wink.

They ended up doing a full, hour-long circle of the neighbourhood and arrived home chilled to the bone but with very warm hearts.

"What can I do?" Willow asked as Tara started to prepare their turkey breast.

"You can run the tub," Tara replied, returning Willow's wink from earlier.

"Okay!" Willow agreed eagerly.

Tara rubbed the turkey down with butter and seasoned it well with salt and pepper. The oven was well pre-heated during their walk so Tara put it straight in. She put the timer on for when the vegetables needed to go in with it and took them from the fridge to get to room temperature. She'd prepared them the night before so dinner would be an easy affair, and all she'd need to do would be mash the potatoes and make some gravy.

She joined Willow in the bathroom, who was already lying in the tub, waiting.

"I missed the strip show."

"You got one of those the other night," Willow replied, grinning, "Now it's my turn."

Tara offered a sensuous smile as her hands rubbed down her front to the hem of her dress. She bunched it under her hands and lifted it to near her hips before letting it fall down again.

Willow's breath hitched and a frustrated breath left her lips as she watched the flash of Tara's stomach disappear again. She was a slight splashing of water as she legs moved.

Tara chuckled and slowly rolled her tights down and off. She reached for her dress again, but didn't tease this time and dragged it over her head. She shimmied close to the tub to drop her bra and panties.

Willow's eyes were so focused on Tara's breasts, she didn't notice she'd been joined in the bath until she was surprised with a smooch.

Tara's lips popped off her and she watched as her girlfriend glided to sit on the other side.

Tara shivered in delight as the warm water heated her skin.

"A tub for two…" she said provocatively, "For me and you."

Willow splashed Tara with her foot.

"My sexy girlfriend and this Jew."

Tara leaned her head back and laughed. Willow loved seeing her neck elongated and closed her eyes for a moment to imagine running her tongue along it.

Tara caught her staring. She smirked when Willow met her gaze and flamed red.

"Caught red-cheeked."

"It's not my fault you have a lickable neck," Willow replied defensively, her eyes casting downwards momentarily, "Lickable everything…"

"You can lick something later," Tara teased, "Your plate clean."

"I'm sure I will," Willow said with a chuckle, "I haven't even had to lift a finger—oh, don't even!"

Tara pursed her lips together for a moment, then just smiled.

"When you pre-prep it's all very easy. You can help me load the dishwasher."

"A skill I excel at," Willow replied with a nod.

Tara returned the nod.

"You do get very cranky when I don't load the silverware right."

"It just makes sense to—" Willow started, but shut herself up, "I won't complain today no matter how crappily you load it, okay?"

"There's the Christmas spirit," Tara replied jovially.

A toe flicked water at Tara, who leaned over and took it in her mouth, making Willow giggle.

They stayed in the tub until the water became more tepid than warming and dressed quickly again, both adding themed fluffy socks; Willow in reindeer ones and Tara in snowmen ones.

Tara took the turkey out to baste and Willow hugged her from behind, moving her toes against the back of Tara's shins.

"My deer are hungry for snowmen and my belly is hungry for turkey!"

"Well there's another little while in this, but we can watch a movie and then we'll be ready to eat," Tara replied, patting the skin gently and brushing it with the juices running off.

"Oh!" Willow replied eagerly, "Let's watch The Grinch!"

She pushed herself away to set it up. Tara checked the timer and there was only a few minutes left, so she added the veggies and reset the clock.

She curled up with Willow and they enjoyed watching the movie together and laughing at the silliness.

As the credits rolled, Willow started to make grumbly stomach movements, so Tara sent her to fill her new salt and pepper shakers while she finished up the last of the cooking.

Willow sat at the table and just about resisted banging her silverware against it to demand food. Finally she saw Tara coming around to set the huge plate of turkey with roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots and a couple of Brussels sprouts, which she knew she wouldn't be forced to eat.

"Wow, baby," she said, impressed, "My mouth is watering."

Tara returned with another bowl of mashed potatoes and a filled gravy boat. She smiled at Willow as she laid her napkin in her lap.

"Bon appétit et joyeux noël."

"And to you," Willow replied, squeezing Tara's hand briefly before starting to pile her plate up.

Tara carved the turkey and they both got generous portions with plenty left over for sandwiches.

Willow took her first bite and clutched the table in delight. When she finally swallowed, she looked at Tara in awe.

"This gravy is amazing. How did I not know you made gravy this good?"

"Because you bought a twenty pound bird for Thanksgiving and I didn't get a chance to make it," Tara replied back jokingly.

"I won't make that mistake again!" Willow replied, quickly making up a second fork with a piece of everything, "And who says gravy is just for holidays? You can make this for me every week! I'll drink it in a mug!"

Tara smiled shyly.

"I'm glad you like it."

She popped a honey-glazed carrot into her mouth and had to admit, it was pretty good.

They both ate heartily, and there was still plenty left over. Tara wrapped everything up while Willow scraped plates and loaded up the dishwasher.

Tara sent Willow to sit and she took out her eggnog mix to make up.

Willow checked out the window and got the menorah ready to light in a little bit when the sun went down. On her back to the couch, she retrieved one of the boxes of chocolates that was under the Christmas tree and opened it up.

When Tara came over with two mugs, she perked up even more excitedly.

"Ooh, eggnog!"

She popped another chocolate into her mouth and rubbed her belly while drinking the eggnog.

"What is it about the holidays that makes you keep stuffing your face even when you know you can't fit another bite?"

"Because Santa is just about the only plus-sized person celebrated for his size in our society," Tara replied wryly.

Willow laughed and moved in to snuggle with Tara.

"I had a lovely day, made lovelier by spending it with you."

Tara reached over and stroked Willow's hair affectionately.

"And may our lovely holidays go on forever."


	16. Chapter 16

Tara let herself into the apartment, feeling fresh-faced.

She was just back from a facial that Willow had gifted her for her birthday. Willow had received a gift card from the famous Mabel, who had given up her matchmaking, but did every so often just look at Willow and sigh. Willow took it appreciatively and offered it to Tara instead for some birthday pampering.

Tara had tried to get Willow to take it for herself, since it was given in recognition of her helpfulness, but Willow insisted. Tara had really enjoyed it, especially after also receiving breakfast in bed that morning. She felt utterly spoiled. Her birthday was technically the next day, but the salon would be closed on the 1st, her actual birthday, and the party was that evening.

As she let herself in, she spotted Willow in the middle of the room, standing on a chair and hanging decorations from the ceiling. Willow quickly checked her watch, then put a hand on her hip.

"You're not supposed to be home for another 15 minutes."

"They took me early," Tara replied, closing the door behind her and taking in the decorated room, "Sweetheart…"

Their Christmas tree was still up, as was the menorah even though Hanukkah had ended two days ago. There were homemade 'Happy Birthday' banners on either wall, balloons all over the floor, streamers hanging from the ceiling and freshly plucked daises placed at random points around the room.

Tara picked up a flower lying between two tealights on the coffee table and twirled it under her nose with a smile.

"I hope they smell good," Willow commented as she jumped off the chair, "I had to outrun an old lady at the allotment a few blocks over."

Tara's eyes widened.

"Willow, you didn't."

"There were rows and rows of them!" Willow defended with a grin, "If she hadn't looked up at the last moment, she wouldn't have even noticed they were gone."

"It's stealing," Tara replied with a click of her tongue.

"It's redistributing," Willow countered, standing in front of Tara with her adorably sweet smile.

Tara fell for it and smiled back in the same way, resuming twirling the flower.

"Don't do it again."

"I think I'd get a gardening shears in the gut if I went back," Willow only half joked before pressing a soft kiss to Tara's lips, "You're glowing. Nice facial?"

The flower whirled under Tara's chin, lighting up her face.

"Mmhm. But I feel bad about using your gift card," she said, before offering a crooked smile, "Maybe she has another grandson you could go on a date with to nab another one."

Willow seemed to hem and haw about something, then her nose scrunched.

"No…I won't," she admitted, then sighed, "I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't want your birthday to be a downer, but I got an email during the week. They're shutting down the volunteer service."

Tara's mouth dropped, stunned, and she reached out to clasp Willow's upper arm.

"Honey, why? I would have thought they need all the help they can get."

Willow brought Tara over to the couch and sat in with her.

"They're citing new management with new policies but I got the real story," she explained, holding a cushion to her front, "Do you remember David? The centre manager who hits on everyone?"

"Except me," Tara answered sardonically, with her head resting on her palm.

"Well, probably because of this," Willow continued conspiringly, "He had a thing go bad with one of the other volunteers who brought it all the way to corporate with a sexual harassment claim. They fired him and are only taking in people with professional training from now on. At least none of the carers or nurses he dated lost their jobs."

Tara reached out and brushed the back of her fingers against her girlfriend's arm.

"I'm so sorry, Willow."

Willow nodded appreciatively, then shrugged her outer shoulder.

"You know, I was looking through my résumé to add my time in the centre and it was just so obvious how blank the 'employment' section was. A college internship and blank. I'm at the stage where I just need to take on something, anything, to fill it up a bit. So I'm going to look around and see what's what and what I could get with little to no experience. It's time."

Tara clasped Willow's arm again to give her a reassuring squeeze.

"You know I support you all the way, in anything you do."

Willow took Tara's hand from her arm and linked their fingers together. She squeezed their palms together to show her gratitude for the solidarity.

"Aaannnyway, that's old news," she continued without any conflict in her voice, "I was going to have this place ready for you, but you're early."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Tara replied, leaving the flower back in its place to hold her hands up, "I had no intentions of ruining what I'm sure were detailed and meticulously laid plans drawn up with a variety of different coloured pens."

"Just three; blue, red and green, all from my new set!" Willow answered cheerily as she leaned over and reached behind the arm of the couch to give Tara and little basket with a bow on it, "Happy Birthday. I know it's tomorrow, but we're doing the celebrate-y stuff today, so…here you go."

Tara took it with a smile and riffled through the contents. There was a green bath bomb, a mandarin scented candle, a new bar of soap and a bag of mini tootsie rolls, one of Tara's favourites.

"Oh, this is lovely," she said, lifting the soap up to smell its fresh scent, "Thank you so much. I wasn't expecting a gift as well as a facial."

"I'm sorry it's so small," Willow replied, obviously wishing she'd offered a grander gesture.

Tara left the basket down, took both of Willow's cheeks in her hands and kissed her softly.

"It's perfect. So thoughtful."

Willow smiled big, delighted Tara liked it.

"Let me take this, and this," she replied, taking the bath bomb and candle, "And go run the bath for you."

"Thank you, love," Tara replied, squeezing Willow's hand as she passed.

Willow went into the bathroom, knelt on the floor and turned on the faucet to find the perfect water temperature. As she let the tub fill, she added a capful of bubble bath, released the bath bomb, sprinkled the water with some daisy petals she'd plucked earlier and finally lit the candle on the side.

When the water was at the right height she turned it off, waded her hand through to make sure it was consistent and went back out to the living area.

"Madame," she said, gesturing towards the bathroom with her arms.

Tara stood up and carried her little basket over.

"Thank you."

Willow winked and closed the door to leave Tara to her bath. Tara undressed and stepped in, sighing happily as the warm water lapped her body. She rested her head on the little bath pillow and smiled as a daisy petal slipped through her fingers.

She took her little bar of soap out to rest on the side-lines for when she was ready for it and tore open her package of tootsie rolls to empty into the little basket as a bowl. As she did so, she noticed the bottom was lined with paper. She caught the edge to take it out.

The tootsie rolls fell back into the little nest of the basket and Tara unfolded the page into its full length.

 _Dear Tara,_

I wanted to write you a letter because…well, just because.

It's your birthday (well, tomorrow) and you're off getting a little pampered (as you well deserve) and I just wanted to write a few things down. For posterity. Or recognition. Or just because if I tried to say this stuff to your face, I'd spaz or you'd get embarrassed and you need to hear what I have to say.

I wanted to tell you, that you are the absolute light of my life. I wanted to tell you, that you are my safe space and shining star. I wanted to tell you, that you make my heart grow each day. With every smile, with every kiss, with every fibre of your being.

I wanted to thank you, for proving to me that soulmates exist. I wanted to thank you, for always believing in me. I wanted to thank you, for always sticking by me. With every smile, with every kiss, with every fibre of your being.

I don't know who'd I be without you, but I do know I wouldn't like her. I do know I would have done things that this me would hate. I do know I would have lived a life of regret. I do know she would be a shell instead of a person, because you're the thing that makes me want to be a better person every day, and you have been for every day we've been in each other's lives.

Did you know that I've known you for one thousand days? Technically it's one thousand and sixty three, but if you take away our beginnings where there were a few days we didn't see each other (and I remember them all and my longing vividly), the time when you were in Paris and that time way back when, when I got scared after our Valentine's non-date and didn't contact you for a week, then we've known each other exactly one thousand days.

Did you know I could name a thousand different ways that I love you and still wouldn't run out?

Did you know you breathe about a thousand times an hour?

Did you know each one I take is for you?

You changed me from a kid to a woman, and in the future I know you'll make me a wife and a mother. I can't wait to be with you for every step of the way. The thousands and thousands of them.

I wrote this in one colour so your eyes wouldn't hurt. I never want you to hurt, ever. I'd take every pain you've ever been inflicted and feel it ten times over if it meant you didn't have to. I can't do that, but I can do my best to stop you from ever hurting again. And I will.

Love (so much of it),

(Your)

Willow

Tara swallowed a lump in her throat, ran her thumb under her eye to catch a fallen tear and folded the letter up safely, tucking it back under the candies. She took a handful of the tootsie rolls to put on the edge of the tub and reached across to leave the basket and her letter on the counter, away from the risk of damage.

She grabbed a candy wrapper at either end, pulled it free and popped it in her mouth with a smile.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the relaxation of basking in the sweet-smelling water with a heart full of Willow.

After a long while, there was a knock at the door and Tara turned her head towards it. Willow's head popped in.

"I made lunch."

"Be right out," Tara replied sweetly and blew Willow a kiss.

Willow caught it and closed the door out again. Tara sat up and drained the tub, then tucked herself into a towel and joined Willow at the table.

"Wow, what's this?" she asked, loving the look of the pasta dish Willow had set the table with.

"Smoked salmon carbonara," Willow replied uncertainly, "I really stuck to the recipe, and it tasted okay on a test so…"

Tara picked up her fork and twirled some noodles around the prongs. She speared a piece of salmon and put it all in her mouth. It was really delicious and definitely pushed the boundaries of meals Willow had cooked before.

"I'm very impressed," Tara said honestly, "This is stunning."

Willow bounced on her seat and started to eat too. While they were eating, Tara gently slipped her foot under the flare of Willow's pants and dragged her toes up and down her girlfriend's shin.

"I read your letter," she said softly.

Willow's eyes slowly lifted to meet Tara's.

"Wasn't sure if you'd find it."

Tara reached across and tickled Willow's cheek, who smiled and nuzzled into it.

"I love you," Tara said, taking Willow's hand on the table.

"I love you, too," Willow replied sincerely.

Their hands stayed linked together for the rest of the meal. After they ate, Tara cleared their plates with Willow on her heels to stop her from washing up.

"Are we stocking a small bar?" she asked as she stepped over boxes of beer and an additional small crate of wine and spirits.

"Becky's contribution," Willow explained, grabbing the plates from Tara, "To make up for the not-so-elaborate spread of chips'n'dip and cheese and crackers. At least we have your chutneys to save the day."

Tara knew better than to argue with Willow about chores on her birthday, so stood back to let her wash the dishes.

"It must have cost a fortune."

Willow grinned over her shoulder.

"Don't worry, she'll drink most of it."

Tara could concede that point.

"I better go get dressed."

"I like watching you walk around in a towel," Willow replied with a fake pout, elbow deep in water.

Tara smirked and paused outside the bedroom door. She dropped her towel and grabbed it, giving Willow only a split second view before she disappeared.

A low moan hummed past Willow's lip and she blew out a slow exhale.

"God, I love that woman."

The door opened again much quicker than Willow had anticipated, while she was still drying their dishes. Unexpectedly, Tara was in jeans and a hoodie.

"I thought you were going to wear a dress," she said, packing the dried plates away.

Tara put her hands on her hips.

"Are you telling me what to wear?"

"No, no, of course not! I–" Willow jumped to protest, but caught on to the look on Tara's face and smiled, "Got me."

Tara smiled back and dropped her hands and walked back into the kitchen.

"I'll change again, but I wanted to help out in here," she said, kicking the beers to the corner when she almost tripped over them again, "I know you wanted to do all the work for the party, but let me make some nibbles to pass around. We can't be known as the cheese and crackers ladies."

Willow checked her watch.

"I don't think we have time to go to the store, and we're kinda broke anyway."

"We don't need the store or money," Tara replied, pulling open the fridge door, "Let me see, I can make…mini ham sandwiches…some lettuce cups with shredded barbeque chicken…bacon and cheese pinwheels. Use up the last of that French bread for some bruschetta. And hey, let's make up some s'mores as a dessert."

Willow scratched her head in disbelief.

"You can make all that from the crap we have in the fridge?"

Tara began taking out everything she needed.

"Willow I grew up being 'culinarily creative'. You have to when you're given $10 to feed two people for a week."

Willow's eyebrows rose. They were thrifty and spent multiples of that now.

She trusted Tara to produce all kinds of goodies. She grabbed the apron to put around her since she was already in her nice black pants and pretty purple blouse for the evening.

"Can I do anything?"

"You can…" Tara started, separating everything to take a proper look, "Cook the bacon and prepare the sandwiches if you want. Leave the crusts on, half mayo and ham, half mustard and ham. Better keep it simple. If those aren't too menial for your new cooking proficiency."

"Never forget where you come from," Willow quipped, taking her place at the countertop opposite Tara, so their backs were to each other, "How much bread should I cut?"

"Might as well use all of it," Tara replied, throwing over the bag of bread.

"Can I save two slices for my toast in the morning?" Willow asked as she took out a chopping board and knife.

"Of course," Tara replied, turning around to peck Willow's cheek from behind, "But no snacking on the bacon."

"Yes, ma'am," Willow answered diligently as she layered the bacon on a plate for the microwave.

Tara scored and seasoned some chicken breasts and got them simmering on a skillet. She thickly cut the last of the roll into slices and put them under the broiler to crisp up. As those cooked and warmed, she took out another chopping board and began to chop up tomatoes, onion and garlic, which she then tossed in some olive oil.

She turned around for something at the same time Willow turned to open the microwave and they bumped into each other.

"Go ahead," Tara offered with a smile, taking a step back.

"Drawbacks of a small kitchen," Willow commented, covering the bacon with a paper towel before turning the microwave on, "Snugness."

"I prefer intimate," Tara replied, giving Willow a sly wink.

Willow blushed and it only increased when Tara bent over to get a muffin tin from the cabinet. She knew Tara was doing it on purpose by the smirk on her face when she straightened back up, so Willow smacked her ass and made her jump.

Tara laughed and playfully plugged Willow's nose, then popped a kiss on her lips.

She upturned the muffin tray to use as a mould for her lettuce cups and arranged the sheets of lettuce, ready to be filled. The French bread was taken out and the tomato, onion and garlic mix was spooned on and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

"How're those sandwiches coming?" she asked.

"Just about done!" Willow replied, humming 'heigh ho' to herself as she got in a rhythm, "I can do the pinwheels for you, but you'll have to show me how."

Tara checked her chicken and added a little more water to steam it, then grabbed her pack of flatbreads that she loved so much and went to stand beside Willow on her side.

"I'm thinking a little hot sauce as the base, what do you think?"

"I think I'm with you all the way, baby," Willow agreed, grabbed the bottle of siracha sauce, "How much?"

"Just a scrape," Tara replied, wiping Willow's knife to use, "You drop some on slowly and I'll spread it."

Willow very carefully dropped the hot sauce onto the bread, following Tara's instructions to add it slowly. They had all the flat breads laid out and Willow went to get the bacon from the microwave, but forgot to use oven gloves.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Tara dropped the knife and spun around, grabbing Willow's hand and running it under the tap. She gently flexed Willow's fingers and made sure they weren't badly burned.

"You have to be careful," she said softly, though with more concern than chastisement.

She let the water run for another few moments, then dried them off and lifted them up to her mouth to kiss.

Willow saw her opportunity and went for it.

"They still hurt."

Tara examined the pads delicately but Willow kept going.

"My lips hurt too."

Tara's gaze lifted to Willow and she shot her a look, then grinned and pulled her close. She kissed her and lingered, leaving extra pecks on her lips before pulling away to take the bacon down, with the oven gloves.

She advised Willow how to layer the cheese, and then she added the strips of bacon on top until the breads were covered. They then rolled each one up and sliced them thick enough to stay standing, but thin enough to pop into the mouth. Willow grabbed one before Tara could stop her and physically fell back against the sink with a delighted sigh.

"Baby, they're so good," she said, licking a stray drop of siracha from her thumb, "Yummy, yummy, yummy."

Tara covered the rest of them quickly so they'd stay fresh and free from Willow's paws.

"I was going to ask you to melt the chocolate for the s'mores but now I'm worried you'll eat it all."

"I'll be good," Willow promised, then grinned, "Just let me lick the bowl. I'm a good licker."

Tara quirked an eyebrow in Willow's direction. She fixed her with a 'be good' look, but was also discreetly squeezing her legs together. She put her head in the fridge to get what she needed and cool off for a moment, then handed Willow the glass bowl to melt the chocolate in.

"Don't let it burn."

While Willow got on with all things s'mores, Tara checked her chicken was cooked through, then started to shred it into a bowl. She added a little bit of barbeque sauce and mixed it all through, then put some finely chopped tomatoes and scallions in as well, and grated carrot over it, for colour.

Willow glanced over and looked surprised.

"Damn, baby," she said, thoroughly impressed, "Those look professional. I thought our fridge was starting to look pretty empty and bam…you whip all this up."

"Well I always hated waste," Tara replied, washing her hands after handling the chicken, "That barbeque sauce definitely needed to be used up and I may have been a bit zealous when I bought all those tomatoes. How's that chocolate looking?"

"Delicious," Willow answered, sneaking a finger in to take a dip, "And ready."

Since there was always a variety of cookies on hand from Willow's shopping trips, Tara knew they would have graham crackers and was even surer there were marshmallows as Willow was a nightly hot chocolate person in the winter.

She retrieved them both and laid the graham crackers out over paper towels to catch drips of chocolate.

"We'll break them and spread some chocolate over each half and melt the marshmallow a little over the burner, then squash them together," Tara explained, "I'm guessing you want to be the marshmallow melter."

"Yes please," Willow replied with a smile that showed off her teeth.

They switched places and Willow turned the burner on so the flames spurt up. She speared a marshmallow on the end of a chopstick and made it dance over the flames. Tara spread a nice thick layer of chocolate over the first two halves on show and turned to Willow to put the marshmallow on, but it was in her gob.

"Willow," Tara sighed.

"'m sowwy," Willow replied, then swallowed, "No more I promise."

She quickly got a second one lightly charred and put it in the cookie before temptation hit again. Tara squashed the second cookie on top and left it on a nearby plate she'd set out for them to set.

They ended up with 27 delicious-looking s'mores, which Tara left covered on the counter. She started to gather all the dishes, but Willow stopped her.

"No, no," she said insistently, "You've done way more than I intended you to already. Go get into your party dress."

"Okay, okay," Tara replied, stepping away and kissing Willow's cheek as she passed, "I liked cooking with you."

Willow reached out and briefly squeezed Tara's hand before she left for the bedroom. Willow normally loaded up the dishwasher when there were so many dishes on the go, but she wasn't sure there would be time to empty it afterwards, so she quickly filled the sink and drudged her way through it. Luckily Tara was a very neat cook and soaked things as she went, so there was little scrubbing.

Her arms were worn out by the time she was finished and she eyed the booze warily at the thoughts of needing to set it all up. She cracked her neck and got on with it, lining all of the bottles of alcohol and various mixers up with plastic cups and filling the cool bucket with ice. It was heavy but she managed to drag it, though not without breaking a sweat.

Finally she got the food around the rest of the table and swiped another pinwheel and a lettuce cup to keep her going until she was able to circle around again. She licked her lips thoroughly and thanked god for Tara's cooking skills.

She realised her apron was still on, so she hung it back in the kitchen and went to the CD player to put on some music. Donna Summer's 'Love To Love You Baby' came on the track and Willow swayed a little as she hummed.

When she turned back around, Tara had appeared again. She was wearing a wide-striped purple and black dress, with elbow length sleeves, making their outfits match.

It fell just below the knee and she had thick black tights on underneath, as well as snazzy boots.

Purple eyeshadow matched her face to her dress and her cheekbones were just lightly defined but drew the eye in. Her hair was down and fell in front of her chest, just above the neckline of her dress.

Willow's eyes popped out of her head.

"Double, double, toil and trouble," she said slowly as she walked over to her, "Fire burn, and caldron bubble."

Both hands clutched her own stomach.

"I'm bubbling and I'm burning."

She delicately held Tara's face so as not to disturb any of her make-up and pressed their lips together gently. Tara felt that hot drop in her belly and breathed into Willow's mouth. She put a hand on her girlfriend's pants button, just short of popping it.

"Save that burn."

"Don't need to," Willow whispered, taking Tara's bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, "You'll ignite it all over again."

Tara was ready to rip Willow's pants off there and then, but she would have to wait. The buzzer rang throughout the apartment, indicating their first guest. Willow made a physically pained face and made herself step back. Tara smoothed out her dress and breathed easy to calm her cheeks.

"So, this is it. Our very first house party."

Willow offered her hand for Tara to take for support and confidence.

"Let's do this thing, baby."


	17. Chapter 17

**FivebyFive89** – I don't have much self-control but I do try to hold out when cooking…it doesn't always work ;)

 **gg** – that she does!

 **billy** – Thanks!

* * *

Tara was on her knees, looking through cabinets with slightly glassy eyes, searching for something intently.

Willow spotted her butt wiggling in the air and wandered over. She bent down and tried to peer into the cabinet too.

"What are we looking for?"

"Wine," Tara replied gruffly.

Willow knew she had put all the bottles out on the table, so a quick look around told her they'd all been used up.

"It's all gone."

Tara looked at Willow incredulously.

"How can we possibly be out of wine already?"

"All our friends are alcos?" Willow suggested, tipsy enough to giggle at her own joke.

Tara fell back to sit on her butt and giggled too.

"What tastes good?"

"Let's go find out!" Willow suggested, taking Tara's hand and pulling her over to the refreshments table, "Hmm…Becky!"

Becky had herself draped across the couch, clearly flirting with Anderson, Mabel's grandson from the senior centre.

She dragged herself over, light on her feet.

"What?"

"The wine is gone," Willow replied, making a gesture all around the table, "Help us mix a drink. NO Long Island Ticed Eees!"

Becky took her role seriously and pondered the options before finally mixing some drinks; handing Willow a rum and coke and Tara a vodka cranberry. She put an arm around either of them and made a smoking motion with two fingers against her mouth.

"Are we partaking tonight? I have some ready to roll…"

Tara slapped down Becky's arm quickly.

"Becky, my boss is here."

"And that was a onetime thing," Willow added, then smiled as she hiccupped when she tried to drink.

Becky pulled a face.

"She's your boss? You invited your boss?"

Tara fixed Becky with a look as sternly as she could muster with the wine flowing through her veins.

"We work for the government. Nuttting," she attempted and cleared her throat, "Not _hing_ illegal."

Becky threw her hands back.

"Fine. I'm on to a sure thing anyway. I'll be getting my own kind of nutting."

Tara hooked her finger around Becky's collar and pulled her ear close to whisper.

"He's gay."

Becky all but stamped her foot.

"Dammit. Not again."

She went back over to her spot, less enthused, while Tara sipped her drink through a straw. It was very easy to drink and somehow seemed to make the music seem even more melodious.

Willow was shoving a s'more into her mouth and Tara picked up one of the last lettuce cups. She used one of the little plastic forks to eat out of and collapsed into a chair.

Both she and Willow had worn themselves out a bit as the party got going; mingling, making introductions, fetching drinks and just generally being good hosts. Then as everyone arrived and things settled down, they had too.

Tara pulled Willow onto her lap.

"Are you having fun?" she asked, nuzzling herself into Willow's neck, unusually showy.

"I'm having lots of fun," Willow replied, her speech languid, "Who knew we threw a good party?"

She made a not-so-subtle gesture towards a particular couple.

"Genius idea to invite the neighbours – no noise complaints!"

Tara's back hunched with laughter and she slurped the end of her glass.

"That went fast!"

She made Willow get up so she could pour another and Willow spun dizzily around, trying to stay on her spot. As she settled, she noticed something, or rather someone, across the room.

"Ahhhh, that guy is wearing a Star Trek t-shirt!" she exclaimed as she ran off, "Meet you for the countdown!"

Tara made a non-committal noise and refilled her drink. She wandered over and sat near Alice, who clinked their similarly-coloured glasses together.

"Twins," she said, taking a sip of her own vodka cranberry, "Going down easy tonight?"

Tara's eyes bugged slightly and it took her longer than it should to realise she meant the drink.

"Oh," she said, mouth forming a very firm 'o' shape, "Y-yes. I never had one before."

She looked away but Alice quickly changed the subject, eating a cracker from a paper plate in her lap.

"So, you're the phantom chutney maker. Why didn't you speak up?"

"Oh, yeah," Tara replied, embarrassed, "I had enough attention at the Christmas party. Didn't need more."

"They're delicious," she complimented but saw Tara's discomfiture, "Hey, know any single bachelors I can snag at midnight?"

Tara cast a cursory glance around the room. She didn't know everyone all that well.

"Oh um…I think him…and maybe him," she said, discreetly pointing, then grinning, "But go quick, Becky will probably get there first."

Alice laughed and stood up to get another drink. She offered to make one for Tara too, who was surprised to find she'd downed another one. She shrugged and handed her glass over.

"In for a dollar, in for a dime," she said, then her face bunched up, confused, "Wait…"

Alice thought she was being humorous and laughed again.

"I never knew you were so funny, Tara. Great music choices too."

Tara took the compliment silently, afraid to ruin it. She checked the CD player to make sure none of Willow's old Backstreet Boys CDs were in rotation, then found herself wandering into a bit of a bitter discussion between some animal enthusiasts on whether cats or dogs were better. She unintentionally diffused the situation by saying fish were best and enjoyed the laughter it brought.

She figured vodka was some kind of magical elixir that made her funnier than she thought she was and continued refilling her red solo cup, the ratio of alcohol to cranberry rising higher and higher each time she poured fresh.

During a refill, Willow jumped at her from behind.

"Baby!"

Tara hit out but narrowly avoided hitting her. Willow's eyes went wide.

"You know Kung Fu!" she said, stunned, then shook her head into focus, "It's the countdown!"

Tara blinked through her hazy vision and realised the TV had been turned on and was showing a channel with big, cheering crowds and a countdown timer. There was less than 60 seconds, so Willow pulled Tara over to watch it with her and everyone else seemed to gather around too.

Willow swung Tara's arms and twirled around, excited and started to jump up and down on the spot when the numbers finally closed in.

There were cheers and shouts while the fireworks exploded on the screen, and more could be heard outside.

Tara grabbed Willow's hips and rested their foreheads together. She kissed her soundly on the spot.

"Happy New Year," she whispered, pressing more kisses onto Willow's jaw.

Willow threw her arms around Tara's neck and swung out of her.

"Happppppy Birth-day!"

They both looked at each other at the same time and ended up in a giggling heap, pulling at each other to stay standing. They hugged on the spot and started to dance badly to the 80's pop playing.

As the night went on, some people left for after-parties and others just left for bed. As the wee hours dawned, only Willow, Tara, Becky and Alice were left.

Both Willow and Tara were well and truly hammered; Becky was drunk but always held her liquor well so the only indicators were glassy eyes and an even blunter attitude than normal, and Alice didn't seem inebriated at all, just laid-back and relaxed.

Becky seemed slightly grumpy as she made her way into the kitchen to get a cool beer. She had to push through Willow and Tara, who were swaying very softly together to the music playing.

"Hey, we get it, you're gay. You can turn off the Ani DiFranco," Becky grumbled.

Willow rested her head on Tara's chest and her brow creased in Becky's direction.

"Were you making out with Anderson earlier? I thought he was gay."

"He's bisexual," Becky answered with a sigh as she slammed the fridge door, "He also just broke up with his boyfriend and 'isn't there yet' so no New Year nookie for me. I had to settle for a kiss at midnight."

Willow lifted her head, chin-up, to Tara and smiled.

"They're the best."

They met for a kiss, which lingered…

…and lingered…

…and lingered…

Becky tried to resist, but she couldn't, and smiled.

"I hate you two for making me believe in love," she called back to them as she collapsed into the couch and lifted her glass, "Well, that's that. Another year."

Alice was sitting directly opposite Becky on the other couch, which had its back to the kitchen. She returned the toast. They each sipped their drink and Becky put her feet up, while Alice curled her legs under her; both getting comfortable now they each had a couch each to themselves.

"So have you known Willow and Tara long?" Alice ventured, resting her cheek on an upturned palm.

"As long as they've known each other, and Willow a little longer," Becky answered, before clarifying, "We were roommates in college."

Alice nodded, a little too swiftly.

"Oh. Were you…?"

Becky barked out a laugh.

"No. Hell no."

Alice blushed.

"Sorry. It's all out of left field a little for me. I thought 'Willow' was 'William' until recently."

"Yeah, they told me the story," Becky replied, grinning.

"I was a little surprised, to be honest," Alice admitted, then twisted her wrist around in a vague gesture, "Tara doesn't look…"

Becky doubled down with her blinking at Alice.

"What, gay?"

"Well…" Alice replied with a one shoulder shrug, "Anyway, it's nice to have companionship."

One of Becky's eyebrows shot up in a pronounced arch.

"…do you think they're just friends?"

"No, of course not," Alice replied in a tone that tried to sound more comfortable than it was, "I know they're…lovers."

"But…?" Becky prompted, eyes boring into Alice.

Alice just flicked her fingers backwards and settled her hand again.

"Well, it's not exactly the same."

Becky crossed her arms across her middle, looking mildly amused.

"Oh, it's not, is it?"

Alice returned a look across the room.

"You know what I mean."

"I don't, actually," Becky replied sincerely, shaking her head.

"I'm sure they have a very deep bond," Alice reasoned moderately.

Becky laughed again, really deep from her belly.

"Oh, wow. You think lesbians don't screw?"

"It's just…different," Alice replied with zero malice but also zero clue.

"No penis, no passion, eh?" Becky quipped, still staring Alice down with those intense, beady eyes, "No dick, no desire? No cock, no com–"

Alice held up a hand.

"I get it."

"I don't think you do," Becky replied frankly, then smirked, "Especially since you don't have the view I do right now."

Alice's brow furrowed in confusion and she turned her head behind her towards the kitchen. Her eyebrows shot right back up again when she saw Tara pressing Willow up against the fridge, blindly fondling and groping her while their mouths played a very visible game of tonsil hockey.

Alice turned back in her seat, clearly shocked. She blinked rapidly.

"Gay, straight, we're all the same," Becky reasoned wisely, taking a slow sip from her long neck, "We all just want a good fuck."

Alice shook her head to herself.

"Okay. I clearly had some misguided notions," she admitted, genuinely surprised and genuinely embarrassed at her misconceptions, "The only lesbians I ever knew were two old ladies who lived by my mom. Not exactly the poster children for lust. I hold my hands up."

Becky admired her admitting it and lifted her beer in acknowledgement.

"If you're going to be friends with them, you should get used to that," she said, throwing her eyes towards what was essentially just becoming a maul, "Maybe not quite so much tongue. I've never seen Tara this drunk. But kissing and touching and general schmaltziness. They're all over each other, all the time."

Alice didn't need to be convinced of that anymore. She sipped on her drink in thought, while Becky leaned forward conspiringly.

"And besides, I know for a _fact_ that Tara has skills that would make a whore blush," she said in a stage whisper, then held one hand up to block one side of her mouth, "And she's _loud_."

"But she's so quiet," Alice replied, shocked, "She doesn't even speak in work unless she's spoken to."

"You know what they say about the quiet ones…" Becky said, holding that same hand up, then settling it over her beer.

A moment later, Willow and Tara came rushing past, clothing already in slight disarray. Willow jabbed her finger towards their bedroom.

"We gotta go…we heard a sound. Been hearing it for weeks but we can't figure out what it is. It might be the… the murrurnufur."

"The what?" Becky asked, watching in delight as Willow's cheeks grew even more flushed.

"The murrurnufur!" Willow repeated, frustrated and not even able to mumble without slurring, "We'll, uh, go check it out and uh, we'll give you a call when we find out!"

"Yeah, this could blow the whole thing wide open," Tara replied, then continued calling back to them as Willow dragged her into the bedroom, "You can sleep on the couch if you want, you know where the blankets are!"

The bedroom door slammed and over the next minute or two there were various crashing and bumping sounds, followed by a very audible collapse onto the bed and a shriek that definitely came from Tara.

Becky tipped her beer pointedly.

"Told ya."

Inside the bedroom, Tara was straddling Willow, sitting on her fingers and leaning forward with her palms pressed flat against the wall. She was riding Willow's hand completely uninhibited, taking everything she needed.

Tara's hot core was making Willow sizzle and her wanton display added a new haze of lust to the haze of booze already swimming in her mind. She threw her arm up and around Tara's neck to pull her down, meeting her halfway so she was sitting up and had Tara in her lap.

She kissed her girlfriend's neck sloppily as her hand groped Tara's breasts. Her teeth nipped while she sucked on the tender skin. She met Tara's lips again and moved their mouths together passionately.

Tara was practically screaming into her mouth, making Willow giggle loudly.

Willow's hand kept slipping off and Tara was giving frustrated groans. Willow was coherent enough to get it, so she rolled Tara on her back to give herself more control. Tara's arms were thrown over her head as her hips thrust and thrust, grasping onto each jolt of pleasure.

She didn't need long as inebriation was its own relaxant and she had no reticence to worry about. Her neck arched back into the pillows as she moaned through an earth-shattering release.

Willow buried her fingers deep to feel it all and took Tara's lips in a kiss to feel that sensual energy quivering through her.

They would never know who passed out first, but their mouths were still pressed together, Willow was still inside and they didn't move a single inch for the rest of the night.

* * *

Tara woke up stiffly, with the worst headache she'd ever had.

She groaned and tried to move, but found everything else hurt too.

Finally she managed to lift her head enough to gauge she was in her own bedroom and that she had neglected to close the blinds, letting in that horrible sun which was hurting her eyes so badly.

She finally realised there was something on top of her and was relieved to see it was Willow. The relief only lasted moments though, then became irritation.

"Willow, get off me," she said gruffly, weakly trying to push her off.

Willow woke up in much the same way Tara had, though with much more dramatic groans and moans.

"Eurgh…everything hurts…" she groaned, "My ears hurt. My toes hurt. My hair hurts."

Tara tried to pull away, but they were stuck together. She glanced down and noticed they were naked. She remembered very little after kissing to ring in the New Year the night before.

"Did we have sex?"

"Probably," Willow mumbled, then grimaced as she realised where her hand was, "Make that definitely."

She started to pull out, but Tara had thoroughly dried up and it was far from pleasant.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Willow replied genuinely, though it made her head throb to speak.

She used every ounce of energy she had to roll off and pull the blanket over her head. Tara stared, half-lidded at the ceiling for a long time until her eyes finally adjusted to the light. She sat up slowly, but when she moved her legs off the bed, she felt a deep pang between her legs.

"Jesus."

"What is it?" Willow grumbled.

Tara grabbed her crotch with both hands and looked down.

"I think you…did me really hard."

Willow's head poked out from under the blanket.

"Are you okay?"

Tara nodded.

"Yeah," she replied, shifting her hips a bit and liking the clench in her belly the ache gave her, "It's kinda nice actually. Like a reminder."

Willow mumbled something and went back to her cocoon. Tara stood, carrying herself gently. She swiped her hand through the dresser and found her old college t-shirt, then slipped it on. It fell past mid-thigh so she didn't bother with panties and just walked straight into the living space.

She planned to march straight into the kitchen to get some very strong coffee on but was startled to see Alice, packing some things into her purse, looking fresh as a daisy with neatly brushed hair and unrumpled clothing.

"A-Alice," she said, immediately trying to pull the hem of her t-shirt down even further.

"You, um, said we could crash on the couch," Alice said, pointing to the furniture in question, "I didn't fancy my chances with New Year's taxis."

"Of course, i-it's no problem," Tara replied, swallowing repeatedly, nervously.

Alice dropped a pen into her purse and hung it over her shoulder.

"I was going to write a note but I'm glad I got to say goodbye. I need to get home to my kitty. I had a lovely time, thank you for inviting me."

"H-Happy to have you," Tara replied, staying a distance since she had no idea what her breath was like.

Alice reached out and squeezed Tara's upper arm. She felt she'd learned a lot about her co-worker over the course of the evening and she liked what she saw.

"Let's have dinner sometime. Bring Willow," she offered, then nodded to the sleeping body on the other couch, "Bring Becky. You surround yourself with good people. I admire that."

Tara was surprised, but even more so when Alice rooted in her purse for a moment, then produced a tube of concealer, which she handed over.

"I needed to get a new one anyway," she continued with a wink, "Happy Birthday, Tara. See you in work."

"See you in…work," Tara replied, staring at the concealer, befuddled, until the bang of the door startled her again and she had to make another grab for her crotch when she jumped.

She went into the bathroom to check for the huge zit she assumed she must have, but instead her eyes widened in horror when she saw her neck.

"Willow!"

There was a massive groan from the living room and then Becky's voice.

"What is this, the international house of noisiness?"

Tara ignored it and marched straight into the bedroom, where she pulled the blanket away from Willow.

"Look what you did to me!"

"What, what is it?" Willow barked, cracking an eye open to see what Tara was complaining about, "So?"

Tara gestured around at the multitude of love bites.

"They're everywhere!"

"Can you _please_ yell at me later?" Willow begged, pulling the blanket back over her again.

"Can you _please_ yell at her later?" Becky shouted, pained.

Tara grabbed another long t-shirt and started shoving it over Willow's head.

"Put this on."

Willow just followed where she was pulled, barely conscious, then dropped back to sleep in the clothing. Tara went into the living room, grabbed Becky's arm and dragged her from the couch into the bedroom, depositing her on the other side of the bed.

Becky just curled around the pillow and Tara went to finally make her coffee and drink it in silence.

A little while passed until Willow started to rouse for real and rolled over in bed. Used to Tara being the other body, she reached out and started to pat it, but soon realised it didn't feel right.

She opened her eyes and screamed.

"Ah!" she said, looking all around the room in panic, "What are you doing?"

"Tara put me in here," Becky mumbled, "Shush."

Willow grabbed Becky's arm and marched her out to the living room.

"Why do people keep pulling me?!" Becky asked petulantly.

"Did you put her in bed with me?" Willow demanded.

"I needed some coffee in peace," Tara replied, massaging her temples.

"I told you," Becky sneered, snatching her arm back and continuing on sleepily into the kitchen, "Is that coffee still going?"

Tara nodded sullenly and Willow approached her gingerly.

"Baby?"

Tara blew out a slow breath.

"My boss saw me looking like this. And god knows what I did last night."

"That Alice chick?" Becky asked from the kitchen, amidst scraping noises, "She was cool. We talked. You're not in any shit house."

"See?" Willow said, rubbing Tara's upper arm.

"She did say we should all go to dinner," Tara reasoned, feeling her worry ease a bit, "Becky too."

Becky returned and forced her way in between them, munching on some toast.

"Everybody loves a little Becky."

Willow shot daggers in Becky's direction.

"You better not be eating my last slice of toast."

"Oops," Becky replied, shoving the last bit into her gob.

"You have your own home with your own food, you know," Willow retorted, and moved around to sit on Tara's other side in annoyance, "You can go there and eat."

"Did you drive last night, Becky?" Tara asked and got a nod in return, "You should wait until after lunch. You might still be over the limit."

"Yes, I should stay and eat lunch," Becky replied with a serious nod of her head, "What is it?"

Willow scoffed.

"I'm not making you anything and Tara sure as hell isn't cooking on her birthday."

"Can you two stop bickering," Tara said firmly, "No one is cooking. I'm going to the burger joint across the street and getting us burgers and fries. After I replace my bloodstream with coffee."

Everyone seemed to agree to that and they sat together in relative silence until Becky started poking Tara's neck.

"You have a lot of hickies."

"I know," Tara replied, too hungover to be any more embarrassed, "I have concealer."

Willow felt a little guilty, so kissed Tara's cheek and gave her a sidelong hug.

"Happy Birthday, baby."

Becky offered a hug on the other side, appreciating a Tara-hug as much as any sane person did.

"Happy Birthday, Tara."

Willow shoved Becky's shoulder, annoyed again that she'd stepped in on their moment.

"Get off her."

"You get her every other day, give me a chance!" Becky returned, shoving back.

Tara just smiled, not even trying to get them to stop. They'd argue anyway and she'd just be wasting her breath.

Instead she just sat back and let the Tylenol and caffeine work its magic to make her feel normal again. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander.

She knew the past few years had given her the best birthdays she'd ever had, and that was because of the 'people she surrounded herself with'.

It was the greatest, truest compliment she'd ever received. She planned to take advantage and revel in every moment with them.

Annoying as they sometimes may be.

* * *

Tara came out of her evening shower, feeling normal again for the first time all day. The hot water had eased away the last of her hangover-induced aches and pains and the junk food she'd been indulging in all day seemed to have soaked the rest of it away.

She wrapped a towel around her, a towel she'd begged Willow to run through the tumble dryer for her because the thoughts of a scratchy towel sent a wave of nausea to her stomach. The fluffy fibres brushed against her skin luxuriously as she tucked it in.

She squeezed some lotion into her hands and rubbed it along her arms, letting the cool cream rub absorb into her skin and give her a fresh feeling. She brushed her teeth thoroughly, wiping out the grease and sugar she'd filled herself with that day and slapped some moisturiser on her cheeks to really renew her skin.

She stepped out of the steamy bathroom and into the bathroom, where Willow was lying on her side on the bed, in a short red and black kimono.

"Becky gone?" Tara asked as she walked over to the closet to find some very comfortable pyjamas.

"I thought she'd never leave," Willow replied with a roll of her eyes, "But we're alone now…"

"You're both so needy when you're hungover," Tara replied, shaking her head to herself, then looked back over her shoulder at Willow, "Is that new?"

Willow pulled the tie loose and flashed some thigh. It had been a super cheap eBay import but also a perfect substitute for the lingerie she couldn't afford to buy.

"I was waiting for you to notice…"

Unfortunately Tara had turned back before the exposure so missed it.

"It's pretty."

Willow frowned but didn't give up.

"It's for you…"

Tara finally picked up on Willow's tone.

She smirked.

"Oh."

She turned around and caught Willow's bared thigh, feeling an ache between her legs quite different to the one she woke up with.

"Did I say pretty? I meant sensationally sexy."

Willow grinned and patted the spot on the bed beside her. Tara approached the bed, flicked the tuck of the towel free so it pooled on the floor and climbed into bed. She reached in and palmed Willow's thigh.

"It's so soft."

"It's satin…" Willow replied, eyes falling to Tara's full breasts.

Tara leaned in and whispered in Willow's ear.

"I wasn't talking about the robe."

She felt the clench of Willow's muscles as her thigh twitched under her hand. She pressed a kiss under Willow's ear and poked her tongue out to taste her girlfriend's skin.

She flicked the fabric off Willow's hip, then slowly pushed Willow onto her back so the material fell off either side and exposed her nude body. She kissed each of Willow's pert nipples and continued licking them until they could harden no more. She bit the sensitive peaks and could practically hear the gush between Willow's legs.

She lowered herself and pulled Willow's thighs apart, feeling herself ignite as her girlfriend's pink, glistening flesh came into view. She eyed Willow's clit, swollen and throbbing as it peaked out. She needed to feel its pulse and had it in her mouth in moments, dragging her lips over near the tip and down again, making her head bob on the spot.

Willow had her legs spread wide and her hand on Tara's head, moaning loudly as her clit was bathed. She pumped her hips towards Tara's mouth and moaned into the pillow until she just felt a rush of air. Her eyes opened to see what happened, but closed again as Tara's mouth landed on hers, letting her taste herself on the sweetness that was Tara's lips.

She felt Tara's legs slide up against hers and reached down to rub her clit. Tara panted into Willow's mouth and moved her hand between them too, catching Willow's wrist on the way to pull her down so they entered each other at the same time. It was mutually deep; both equally seeking the other's inner depths and to be enveloped in heat.

They thrust into each other quite energetically after being sedate for most of the day; their lips resting on each other even while they were moaning too loudly to kiss.

Tara's other hand clutched at the sheet above Willow's shoulders, clasping it in her grasp to release some of the tension until it finally broke in her belly. Her neck arched back and a low groan passed her lips.

Willow lifted her head and kissed Tara's bared neck at the moment she came, getting her fill of Tara from all angles.

They fell into each other and shared a last kiss before Tara rolled off and took a sip of water from the bottle on her nightstand.

Willow noticed Tara's thighs grating off each other.

"Are you still sore?" she asked with concern.

"No, I'm okay now," Tara replied, offering the water.

"I'm sorry," Willow responded, gratefully taking a sip.

Tara twisted the cap back on and snuggled up to Willow's side.

"I don't quite remember, but I'm sure I was a very willing participant," she replied with a grin, "God, I hope I wasn't loud."

Willow rolled her hand over her hair, remembering the night before.

"Man, we got so wasted."

"I'm never having a vodka cranberry again," Tara vowed.

Willow playfully flapped her hand against Tara's chest.

"Oh, you had fun."

Tara nodded, her chin on Willow's shoulder.

"Yes, I did."

She turned Willow's cheek in so she could kiss her lips.

"Thank you for throwing me a party," she said sweetly, "Any New Year's resolutions?"

"Get a job!" Willow replied insistently, "You?"

"After today I feel like I should give up alcohol," Tara joked, then shrugged her outside shoulder, "I dunno. It's hard to think of any when you're so happy."

She leaned in and nuzzled her nose to Willow's, gently bumping into her.

"And you make me so, so happy…" she said, pecking Willow's lips again, "I stupid love you."

Willow closed her eyes, taking in the joy of getting to start another year with her love.

"I stupid love you too."


	18. Chapter 18

**Slupton** – Glad you liked it! I'm honoured to be part of a ritual!

* * *

Tara walked in through the apartment door, happy and humming, and immediately went over to Willow to pull her into a hug.

Willow had been tense but did relax as Tara's arms went around her.

"How'd you know I needed that?"

"Uh oh," Tara replied, pulling back a tad to look at Willow's face, "Interview not go well?"

Willow had spent a few weeks sending out résumés, to very little bites. She'd been unsure what to go for but eventually decided to play the numbers game and apply to anywhere that required little experience.

Finally a call centre had emailed to offer an interview time and Willow had spent the entire intervening week preparing answers, memorising her résumé and watching YouTube videos to teach her good posture and demeanour. She'd even asked Tara to do mock-interviews with her. She had been cheery and hopeful with her effort that morning.

Now, however, she was slouched and sullen.

"Remember on your birthday I, um, redistributed some flowers from that old lady?"

Tara winced on the spot.

"Oh no," she said, rubbing Willow's upper arms, "She was the interviewer?"

"She was the district manager," Willow replied with a bark of a laugh, "So you can scratch that entire corporation off the 'potential employer' list.

"Honey," Tara soothed in a comforting tone.

Willow shrugged one shoulder, eyes on the floor.

"Anyway, I didn't know what you wanted to do this evening, so I haven't started making dinner yet. I should've asked this morning but I was so nervous. Didn't want to throw just anything in the oven considering what day it is."

"Good," Tara replied, making Willow look up in surprise, "You've always blown our anniversaries out of the water. Let me take charge this year."

In truth, Willow had been so focused on the interview she'd forgotten about their anniversary until the night previous when her phone buzzed with a reminder featuring a heart emoji. She felt just awful about it and even worse she couldn't organise anything on such short notice with little money.

"Okay," she agreed, grateful for the out and hopeful she'd do better the next year.

She'd set a reminder for a week early, that was for sure.

Tara knew nothing of the slip in Willow's mind, and would have understood if she did. She was happy to play the role of cheerer-upper. She leaned in and kissed Willow squarely on the forehead.

"You're great at the grand romantic gestures, but with circumstances, financial and otherwise, I'm thinking a super relaxed evening."

Willow exhaled a slow breath.

"I could sure use a super relaxed evening."

"Let me get changed. I'll be right back," Tara replied, pecking Willow's lips before heading off for the bedroom and calling back, "And you look perfect as you are."

"Oh, yeah, I couldn't look better," Willow quipped, just wearing comfy purple jeans and a white blouse but not feeling like pulling herself into something dressier.

Tara cocked her head back around the door.

"Well you could," she said, eyeing Willow up and down with a sultry smile before throwing her a wink, "But let's save that for the end of the night."

Willow cracked a smile; Tara could always make her feel better. She decided she better make some effort and went into the bathroom to put on a little make up and brush her hair through.

She went back to the couch and waited for Tara patiently while playing on her phone. Tara was only a few minutes and returned wearing black slacks and a red shirt with her hair loosely tied up.

"You look pretty," Willow complimented tenderly, happy to see her in casual wear too, "Wait."

She went into the bedroom and returned with a gift wrapped in tissue. She'd had to make a quick dash to Tara's favourite thrift store to find a present earlier that day.

Tara unwrapped it and smiled. It was a large hair clip with a flower shape on top, purple and white rhinestones arranged as the petals and little sprouting leaves.

"It's vintage," Willow said, waiting to see if her gift was liked.

Tara stepped forward and embraced Willow warmly, then pulled back to slip it over the base of her ponytail.

"I love it. Thank you, sweetie."

Willow breathed a sigh of relief and affectionately fixed the clip. Tara went and got a present from her purse, a slightly larger one, about the size of a mug, wrapped more delicately than Willow's. Willow accepted it with a smile and opened it, revealing a tealight holder made from a tree branch.

She turned it around in her hands, the bark lightly scraping her skin.

"Oh. It's nice."

Tara could tell Willow was just being nice, but that was because she didn't know the hook yet.

"I carved it from a branch from our tree on campus."

Willow did a double-take.

"You…oh my god!" she said, turning it all around again with much more wonder, then gaped at Tara, "You stole a branch?"

Tara shrugged one shoulder mysteriously.

"I may have taken an early morning winter stroll one day…with my Swiss army knife in my pocket."

"You have a Swiss army knife?" Willow asked, bewildered.

"Becky gave me the joke one with the corkscrew and bottle opener for my 21st birthday, remember?" Tara reminded.

"Oh yeah," Willow recalled, shaking her head, "I can't believe this, it's awesome. I'll have a piece of that tree with me forever. Thank you. Really. Also imagining you stealing a branch at 6am is a gift in and of itself!"

She threw her arms around Tara and kissed her cheek.

"I love you," she whispered into her girlfriend's ear, only for the moment to be interrupted by a loud stomach grumble, "…and I haven't eaten all day."

She blushed but Tara just smiled.

"Is Chinese okay?"

Willow nodded.

"Are we ordering in?"

"I thought we could go to that food truck at the Fens since it's a nice evening," Tara suggested, "We should only need a light jacket and we might even survive some un-mittened hand-holding if you're feeling on the wild side."

"As long as you don't take me tree-thieving," Willow replied with a grin.

They found their light jackets, purses and headed out for the nearby parkland. It was a cool, but clear evening with just a very light breeze.

"Hey, don't worry about that interview," Tara said, putting her arm around Willow's shoulders, "You would have hated a call centre anyway."

"Wouldn't have hated the money," Willow replied morosely.

"Your gift didn't cost me a penny," Tara said astutely.

"And I love it," Willow replied, smiling, "You're right. I would have hated it. I even hate being on the customer end of them. There just seems to be so many people competing for basic entry-level jobs. I know it's a recession and all but…just didn't think it would be so hard."

She sighed and rested her head on Tara's shoulder.

"Anyway, that's enough of that. Relaxation officially starts now."

Tara took in a deep breath and Willow followed suit until they were synced and de-stressing. The food truck they were going to was a lone wolf in the parkland, so they had the room for tiny circular tables in front with some metal chairs.

They availed of a 'one appetizer; two mains' deal and opted to share some egg rolls, honey sesame chicken and Mongolian beef, with a can of soda each thrown in, all for $15.

They had a view of the waterfront and there were other people milling around, going for evening walks or taking a shortcut through.

"This is good food," Willow said, dipping an eggroll into the sweet chili sauce.

"Try this," Tara said, offering some sesame chicken on chopsticks.

Willow took it and wiped her mouth with the napkin.

"It's really good. I'm impressed, for a food truck."

"It always smells great when we pass by going for a walk," Tara replied, taking some fried rice from the communal bowl, "I'm glad to see it tastes as good."

They finished every bit on their paper plates and playfully fought over the last few bites before feeding them to each other. It was an easy clean-up, just throwing everything into the trash and thanking the cooks inside the truck as they passed.

The sun was starting to set quite beautifully over the water, so they went and stood at its edge to watch. Tara stood behind Willow and crossed her arms around her girlfriend's middle.

"Beautiful."

"I love how the colour changes over water," Willow replied, watching the reds and oranges blend over the horizon.

"No, you," Tara replied with a smile, "But the sunset is pretty too. Almost as good as at our tree."

"I'll think of it every time I light a candle. That's why you made it a candle holder, isn't it?" Willow asked, smiling wide at the thoughtfulness of it all, "Hey, you ever skip stones?"

"All I know is that they call it 'faire des ricochets' in France," Tara replied, lips curled slightly, "I think I've tried and plopped."

Willow found a flat rock and flicked it out onto the water, getting four skips. Tara watched their even hop along the water.

"It's soothing. I'm guess you know all the science behind it?"

"I won't bore you," Willow replied with a smile, "I used to make wishes on them when I was a kid."

"What did you wish for?" Tara asked, helping Willow find a smooth stone.

"An 'A', or a new microscope, or for my parents to come to the science fair," Willow replied, tossing another with just three jumps this time, "Once to get into BC but _not_ get into MIT so that I wouldn't have to make excuses about why I didn't want to go. That one didn't work, had to disappoint the parentals myself."

Tara put her hand over Willow's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Willow gave her the last stone.

"You try."

Tara tried to copy the motion Willow had used, and got one skip, but it was better than a plop. She smiled.

"I wished that a gorgeous woman would go share a milkshake with me."

Willow put her hands on her hips.

"You're not supposed to tell or it won't come true."

"Whoops," Tara replied, holding her hand out towards Willow, "Come with me anyway?"

Willow took the offered hand and Tara pulled her close. She gave her a smooch with her hands on Willow's hips. They were in their own little spot and not too worried about passers-by, so Willow offered a little tongue; just enough to entice them both for later.

Tara closed her eyes and savoured Willow's lips. When they finally parted, she pursed her lips to remember the warmth, then linked their fingers.

"Shake?"

Willow smiled seductively.

"We can start with a milkshake and end with a booty shake."

They walked a little further to the local ice-cream bar instead of stopping at the burger joint near their place, because the ice-cream bar had all kinds of wild and wonderful creations.

They debated their options and eventually decided to make up their own custom shake from the variety of flavours and toppings on offer. Tara went up to order and pay.

"Can I get a large chocolate chip and rocky road shake with M&Ms on bottom and marshmallows and salted peanuts on top, with whip," she said as she fished out her wallet, "Two straws, thanks."

She went and sat down with Willow and their giant shake was brought over with two straws in it and couple of spoons on the side. Willow leaned in to take a big sip and sat back with whipped cream on her nose.

Tara sat with her elbows on her table and her chin resting on her overlapping hands.

"You are so sexy."

"Only if I'm a mirr–" Willow started to respond, but caught the glimpse of white and wiped it off with a blush, "Anyway…"

"This is tasty," Tara said as she took her own sip, "Good call on the marshmallow peanut mix."

"Sweet and salty is the way to go," Willow replied, chewing one of each in her mouth.

She started to swallow the peanut, but at the same moment, Tara's foot began to trail against her shin. She choked for a moment but got it down with an extra sip of milkshake and minimal embarrassment.

She smiled coyly across at Tara and put a hand over hers. They used the close proximity of the shared milkshake to throw goo-goo eyes at each other and play a sneaky game of footsie.

When the shake was gone, Willow used the straw to suck the M&Ms at the bottom and they played a game of getting it into Tara's mouth before it fell off. Tara fed Willow the last few with a spoon and they shared a brief, cold kiss.

"Brrr," Willow giggled with a shiver, "Cold lips."

"Icy hot," Tara replied, then plucked a napkin out and wiped her mouth.

"Was my kiss that bad?" Willow asked with a mock-pout.

"No, but it did come with some extra ice-cream," Tara replied, reaching over to wipe Willow's mouth too.

Willow took the napkin and dabbed at herself, then scrunched it up and left it in the empty milkshake glass.

They walked back out into the night and towards home, but Tara stopped them outside Marshall's bar.

"End our night with a drink?"

Willow agreed and they walked inside and over to the bar.

"Usual?" Willow asked, taking her jacket off and holding it over her arm.

"I'll have a beer," Tara replied casually, "Wanna play pool?"

"Pool?" Willow asked, casting an eye over towards the unoccupied pool table, "We never play pool."

"Well we are being wild tonight," Tara replied with some good-natured ribbing.

Willow ordered their drinks, handed Tara her beer and brought her own over to the pool table. She hung hers and Tara's jacket on a nearby chair and retrieved the pool cues and the…

"What's this thing called?" she asked as she set the balls into its triangular shape.

"A rack," Tara replied, fixing the balls as Willow set them, "The 1 ball is at the apex, the 8 ball goes in the middle, and bottom corners need a solid and a stripe."

"Um, since when are you a pool shark?" Willow asked as she watched Tara arrange everything into its place.

Tara grinned and picked up her pool cue.

"They have a table at the homeless shelter. I play with some of the regulars sometimes."

Willow shook her head to herself.

"Three years and I'm still learning something new about you."

"Do you want to break?" Tara asked, then explained off Willow's look, "Hit the white ball to break up the rest of them."

Willow took a step back.

"You better do it."

Tara lined up her shot and took it. The number 11 sailed into the furthest corner and straight into pocket. She straightened up very matter-of-fact.

"Okay, so I'm playing stripes and you're playing solids," she said, pointing between the two for clarification, "Got it?"

"Sure," Willow replied, thankful the concept was at least simple, "There's more solids than stripes though."

"Either of us can shoot the black ball, but only as the last shot," Tara explained, "You get to keep shooting if you sink the ball; if you miss, it's next person's turn. If you sink the white the other person gets a free shot."

Willow nodded, understanding.

"So you get to go again now?"

"That's right," Tara replied, taking another shot where no ball landed, "Your turn."

Willow eyed the solids and tried to work out the physics of her best shot. She held the pool cue at all kinds of awkward angles until Tara came over, pressed into her from behind and reached over to show her how.

"Like this."

Willow decided she liked pool very much and grinned.

"Like this?" she asked, purposefully angling it upwards.

"Like…this," Tara repeated, pressing her hips into Willow's ass.

She covered Willow's hand, rubbing their fingers together and shot the ball with her, which didn't sink, but got close.

"You got it," Tara whispered in her ear, then went off to chalk her cue grinning.

Willow took a very long sip of her cold beer and was very grateful for it.

A few turns later, Tara was lining up her last shot and was being cocky about it. She sat on the edge of the table and held the cue behind her back.

"Ohh!" Willow spoke up, reading something off her phone, "It increase the tip's friction coefficient so that when it impacts the cue ball on a non-center hit, no miscue occurs."

Tara paused, an eyebrow cocked.

"What?"

"I didn't know what the blue chalky stuff did," Willow admitted sheepishly, then froze when she glanced up and saw what Tara was doing, "You're gonna make the shot like that?"

Tara smirked.

"Uh uh."

Willow swallowed and leaned in so only Tara could hear.

"If you do I'll be incredibly turned on."

Tara straightened her back and experimentally flexed the cue through her fingers. She hit the 8 ball and watched it hit off the edge of the table and gain just enough momentum to fly towards the pocket directly diagonally.

Willow was totally taken in by the coolness and grabbed a handful of Tara's shirt, quickly smoothing it out to avoid looks from others.

"I think we should go home…"

Tara tugged Willow's hand into her own and they walked as inconspicuously fast as they could the half block to their own building. Willow had to contend with another testing press of Tara's front against her back as she put the security code in the main door, but finally she was able to let them in so they could pound the stairs to their floor.

They were giggling letting themselves into the apartment and falling over each other to get in first. They headed straight for the bedroom but Willow doubled back for her present and put it on the nightstand. She lit it with a match, then flicked off the lightswitch so there was just it and the moonlight's glow.

Tara went to close the curtains but Willow stopped her.

"No, no," Willow said from the other side of the bed, "I love moonlit Tara."

Tara noticed she was in the moon's direct line. She turned back around in that spot and started to undress. She gave Willow a show, very slowly stripping until she was standing there completely nude.

Willow thought she might literally explode from her nerves standing on end, were such a thing possible.

"…I can't…words…"

Tara twirled her fingers in Willow's direction and she got the hint. She started yanking at her own clothes, stripping off and standing on the spot, breathless. Tara brazenly stared right between Willow's legs.

"I want that red pussy on my face."

Tara had taken charge of their anniversary, so it was only fitting to see Take Charge Tara appear in the bedroom. They both jumped onto the bed from opposite sides and met in the middle in a fiery kiss.

Tara cupped Willow's ass and pulled their hips together, squeezing one cheek as the other fondled Willow's breast. She fell onto her back and brought Willow with her, moaning into her mouth as the soft weight of her girlfriend's body pressed against her.

She teased her tongue against Willow's, hand sliding down the back of her hair to pull them closer. Tara's fingertips followed Willow's spine and finally curved back over her ass again, where she gave a little tug.

"Come up, come up."

Willow spent a minute dragging herself away from Tara's lips, continuously going back for 'one last' kiss. Finally, with little panting breaths, she lifted herself up over Tara's face.

Tara propped the second pillow behind her head and grabbed Willow's ass, kneading the skin there as she pulled her girlfriend down to meet her mouth. She offered a delicate but thorough tonguing to start.

Willow slowly grinded her body downwards, head tilted back so her moans floated towards the ceiling. She became unsteady when Tara's tongue began lapping at her opening and gripped one hand around the headboard. Her fingers curled between the slats and held her in position even as her thighs quivered and threatened to give out.

Tara's hands had migrated to Willow's thighs, nails lightly indenting her skin. She felt those tremors shake past her wrist and her own hips squirmed.

She opened her mouth and treated Willow's hot flesh with open-mouth kisses. Her lips and tongue touched everywhere, finding each crevice and claiming it as her own. A hand trawled for Willow's hip and her fingertips continuing pressing into the soft skin of Willow's stomach and up to her breast.

"Ughhhh," Willow moaned as Tara's fingers rolled her sensitive nipples, feeling just one big surge away from coming.

She felt herself starting to crest and reached, with the other hand still gripping the headboard, for Tara's arm, clutching it just below the elbow. Tara abandoned Willow's breast to clutch the same arm, so they were hanging onto each other as Willow orgasmed through a long moan.

Tara felt Willow go limp, so held her at the hips. She rested her head back into the pillows and took a breath. She was panting as much as Willow. It made her chuckle to herself.

Willow glanced down and dropped her head to take in some deep breaths. Her hand released the headboard.

She made a sticky shuffle down when she could finally bear to lift herself off Tara, though not without a pang between her legs. She slid down to lie on the bed, having to share the doubled-up pillows with Tara.

She started to shake out the hand that had gripped the headboard. They were still white and her fingers were marked with reddened patches of skin where the wood had dug in.

"They were in there so tight," she commented, wiggling her stiffened fingers.

Tara blew out slowly and pressed her hips into the mattress.

"You're killing me here, Will."

"Huh?" Willow asked, then realised what she'd said, "Oh…ohhh!"

She turned herself on her side and pulled Tara around to face her. She caressed Tara's side and knocked their hips together.

She turned her head in and kissed Tara's chin, tongue poking out delicately to lick where her excitement had left its mark. She kissed upwards, pressing her lips softly to the corner of Tara's mouth and then slipping her tongue inside.

Tara moaned and grabbed Willow's cheeks, kissing her as deeply as possible. Willow palmed Tara's side, then grabbed and threw her girlfriend's leg over her hip. She reached between them, dipped into Tara to wet her fingers, then found her clit and rubbed all four fingers back and forth.

Tara fell onto her back, pulling Willow on top again, still holding her face and kissing her passionately. Her knee pressed into Willow's ass, while her hips lifted to get even more friction.

Willow found her hips moving in sync with Tara's, so decided to put them to good use. She used their strength to add momentum as she entered Tara and began to thrust in and out.

Tara's palms fell down Willow's back and her nails scratched back up. She felt Willow's moan vibrate passed her lips, making her inner muscles clench her girlfriend's fingers.

Willow curled her fingers in response, finding Tara's spot and tap-tap-tapping it in the way that drove her wild. Tara grabbed fistfuls of the skin on Willow's back, which she released as the orgasm washed over her; her neck and back arching instead.

Willow changed to slow drags in and out, then stilled and rested where she was. She kissed Tara's lips until she came 'round again, then nuzzled their noses together.

"I like Tara-led anniversaries."

Tara lazily lifted her hands to cup Willow's ears and dragged them down to hold her face.

"I just like anniversaries. We should have lots of them."

Willow rested her forehead against Tara's and nodded.

"Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots…"


	19. Chapter 19

**jaiden83** – You're making perfect sense! Little everyday things can often be a lot more romantic than grand gestures.

 **billu** – Thank you so much :)

 **gg** – Glad you liked it!

* * *

Tara was sitting on the couch, with Willow's legs in her lap, massaging her calves.

They were watching TV, though Willow was playing on her laptop too, so Tara had rare control of the remote. She was watching a period drama, which Willow would normally whine her way out of viewing.

It mildly annoyed Tara as she often sat through a lot of Willow's shows and movies she had little interest in, but not enough to argue the point and start a fight. Instead, she just became crafty at seizing the remote when Willow was distracted and watching what she wanted to watch.

She made the most of those times, like now, and was indulging in a tall glass of cold iced tea and a little bowl of peanuts to add to her viewing pleasure. She took a sip from her glass to wash down a handful of nuts, then had to dodge Willow's feet when they started kicking excitedly.

"Hey, hey, guess what?"

Tara left her glass back on the end table and stopped Willow's legs from causing a mess by gently holding her down and continuing the massage.

"Hmm?"

Willow closed her laptop and sat straight up.

"Do you remember Anderson?"

"Mabel's grandson?" Tara asked with a quirked eyebrow, "The one Becky made out with at our party?"

"Yeah we're friends on Facebook," Willow explained, leaving her laptop on the floor, "He made a status about getting into a grad school he applied to, but he didn't think he'd get to go because his boyfriend didn't want to move. But since they broke up, he took it and he's moving out west to settle himself before he starts."

"That's nice, I hope it works out for him," Tara replied with a friendly smile, "Mabel will miss him though."

Willow bounced up and down on the spot.

"The _reason_ I'm telling you all this is because I messaged him to say well done and we got talking and he said he's leaving his job in Starbucks and that if I want he can get me an interview."

"You do love coffee," Tara grinned, reached over to tickle Willow's cheek affectionately, "That's great sweetheart."

Willow scooted her butt towards Tara.

"Hopefully they'll give me a call in the next few days," she said, voice slightly giddy with nerves, "I'm gonna read up on their menu!"

Tara reached out and held her wrist gently.

"It's late. Go into research mode in the morning; you'll retain it all better."

Willow checked her watch and considered her options, then reasoned Tara was right. She swung herself around so her head was in Tara's lap instead, but pouted when she saw what was on the screen.

"Why are we watching this crap?"

"It's half-way through, I'm not turning it off now," Tara argued, grabbing the remote from the arm rest before Willow could snatch it away, "I watch your sci-fi shows."

"Okay, okay," Willow grumbled, "But I get to pick after."

Tara said nothing, but had a trick up her sleeve.

She began playing with Willow's hair and brushing her fingertips gently against the back of her girlfriend's neck, until Willow was softly snoring.

Tara covered her with the blanket and kissed her forehead softly.

She sat back, smiled and settled in for another hour with control of the remote.

* * *

Tara came in the door after her day at work and had Willow jump on her almost straight away.

"Tara, I got it!"

Tara took a moment, but remembered Willow's interview almost right away.

"You got it?!" she checked, clutching Willow's shoulders.

"I got it!" Willow confirmed, twirling around and around with excitement, "I got the job! I'm a soon-to-be barista!"

Tara wrapped Willow in a big, warm hug.

"Well done honey. I'm so proud of you."

Willow clung to Tara, then stepped back with a bounce. Tara went to hang her jacket.

"What was it like?"

"They were really nice," Willow answered, animatedly bobbing her head as she recalled, "Weren't super impressed with my blank résumé but liked my knowledge of the company. It was just like a conversation, not an interview. And I got a free mocha."

"When do you start?" Tara enquired, delighted things were starting to look up for her girlfriend.

"Monday. Have to get in early to be trained through set-up and the machines. One month probationary period, which seems pretty standard," Willow replied, her hands fidgeting around the place, "I have an employee handbook to memorise. How to write up cups and milk ratios and things like that. I actually know most of the shorthand anyway."

"I know," Tara replied with a fond smile, "You mentioned it in your very first babble to me. After you spilled it all over me."

Willow blushed, and fidgeted some more.

"I'm nervous but I'm excited. My first real job."

Tara crossed her wrists behind Willow's neck.

"Be friendly. Listen. Don't be afraid to ask questions and never do something unless you're 100% sure you know the way to do it."

Willow breathed that information in and out.

"That's good advice."

Tara pressed a kiss squarely onto Willow's forehead.

"You'll be okay. The interview is the biggest hurdle. Once your first day is over it will be a breeze."

Willow closed her arms around Tara again and nuzzled into her chest.

"Thanks for always being there for me," she said, slightly choked up.

Tara inhaled softly from the top of Willow's head and smiled.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else."

* * *

Tara rolled over in bed, half-awake already. She could hear Willow creeping around the bedroom.

It was a different disturbance to the tossing and turning that had gone on all night, but still audible. Her sleepy eyes blinked in the darkness to find the red lights of the alarm clock. She grimaced at the early hour.

"Sweetie, have you slept at all?" she asked softly.

Willow was busy affixing her new black shoes to her feet, to match the black shirt and pants she was wearing.

"It's way early, baby," she replied quietly, "Go back to sleep."

She stood into the shoes and twisted her ankles to make sure they were on properly. She then glanced over to Tara who was beckoning her over. She went and sat by Tara, who took her hand and held it to her face.

"You better avail of some of their services if you're going to stay awake."

Willow had already downed a coffee or three but wouldn't refuse any if offered by her new employers.

"I'll be okay," she said with little conviction.

Tara leaned forwards and left a soft kiss on Willow's cheek.

"Lots of luck, sweetheart."

"Go back to sleep," Willow commanded, tucking in the blanket around Tara.

She tiptoed into the bathroom and made sure she had no awkwardly sticking out hair or toothpaste on her mouth, then donned a rain jacket and headed outside with it zipped up to the top.

The roads were quiet, with just cafes and bakeries beginning to open up. Though spring had landed and brought with it some warmth, the early hours were still bitterly cold and on that particular morning, drizzly.

The Starbucks was on the other side of the neighbourhood, but Willow would have taken whatever kind of public transport she had needed to, to land a job. She actually felt quite lucky to have gotten Anderson's spot somewhere so close by and in walking distance.

She'd visited the store in question a few times since her interview, wearing a hat as a disguise and keeping to herself in the corner so she could observe. It all looked very fast-paced and with her, fast-paced usually meant spaz-inducing.

She'd taken extra care to memorise every page of the employee handbook to offset any potential klutziness.

She had a bit of a panicked moment when she walked through a shortcut that landed her in the middle of the street and realised it was topped and tailed with a Starbucks on either end. In the disorientating darkness and with little sleep behind her, she couldn't remember which was which.

Finally, she remembered she had an email on her phone with the exact address. She hovered under a fire escape and held her phone under her jacket so it wouldn't get wet, and noted the building number.

It was the one at the farthest end of the street, so she gently jogged there, but it was still all locked up. She pressed her hand against the metal gate, but it was pitch black inside as well, so she guessed no one was there.

She leaned back against the wall and hung her head down to stop the rain from hitting her face. After a few minutes, a guy came up, dangling keys. Willow straightened up and he looked at her.

"Are you the new girl?"

"Yes," Willow nodded, swallowing a nervous lump, "It's—I'm Willow."

He pulled up the rolling shutters and searched for the door key.

"Brian, I'm the shift supervisor," he greeted pleasantly, "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Willow replied, stepping inside after him.

Brian walked through the store, flicking on all the lights.

"Sorry you were waiting. Newbies usually swan in, in the middle of set-up with no clue."

Willow followed him around, a little bit like a lost puppy.

"I don't like being late."

They walked into the break room and Brian showed her a place to hang her rain jacket.

"Have you ever been a barista before?"

Willow was worried about people finding out it was her first job.

"Well…no. No, I haven't."

Brian grabbed something and held it out to her with a smile.

"Your apron."

Willow took it, looked at it for a moment, then starting tying it around her as Brain did the same. He motioned for her to follow her out and started to turn on everything behind the counter.

"The machines look scary, but they're not that bad. The cranky customers who haven't gotten their caffeine fix yet are the real trouble."

Willow was very gradually losing her nerves, her new co-worker's ease encouraging her own.

"I've dealt with prof—customers like that."

Everything began to whirr and Brain leaned back against the counter as they waited for lights to flicker green.

"You knew Anderson, right?"

Willow shrugged one shoulder.

"Not super closely, but yeah. We volunteered together."

"We were in college together, studied business," Brian replied, casually folding his arms across his chest, "I'm applying to start a master's program, but gotta pay the bills."

Willow considered how much to say, but reasoned she could be honest without being completely revealing.

"I'm…sort of in limbo land, career wise. Exploring my options at the moment."

Brian nodded.

"Not a bad place to explore. Good pay and free coffee, at least on breaks. You get one before and after your shift too. What's your poison? I'll show you how to make it."

"I like a mocha," Willow admitted.

Brian looked like he was about to tease her, but just smiled and pushed himself off the counter instead.

"Mocha it is."

They had to go through a lot of set-up before the test brew occurred; grinding beans, filling containers with milks and syrups and others with the many, many other ingredients to cover the extensive drinks menu.

Brian took Willow step by step through the pouring, mixing, foaming and presenting of a mocha, giving her the warm cup when he was done. He made himself up a latte and brought Willow back to the break room.

"Have you been learning all our codes?" Brian asked, drinking his latte with the lid off. When Willow nodded, he sat up straighter, "Pop quiz."

He fixed her with a stare and one-sided grin that reminded Willow of Tara and made her smile.

"A," Brian shot out.

It took Willow a minute to understand what they were doing, but she caught on quickly.

"Americano."

"CM," Brian challenged.

"Caramel Macchiato," Willow answered diligently.

Brian quirked an eyebrow.

"M."

Willow held up her drink.

"Mocha. Which is really good, by the way."

"PM," Brian said fast, trying to catch her.

"Peppermint Mocha," Willow replied, grinning.

Brian pointed at Willow challengingly.

"Curveball; syrups – SFH."

"Sugar free hazelnut," Willow replied coolly.

Brian's eyes narrowed.

"What does 'wet' mean?"

"Less foam, more beverage," Willow said knowledgably.

Brian smiled.

"Well, alright. I'm impressed," he said, settling back in his seat and downing half of his latte, "Let's finish these and go set up the pastry display. I want you to show me everything in there that you _can't_ touch while it's on too. That's a big health and safety thing. The other staff will be getting here in fifteen or so."

Willow finished her mocha on the spot and took Brian's advice to run to the bathroom before the rush started.

She'd burned herself enough times at home to pay careful attention to the boiling hot beverage machines and where was a no-go area, so passed Brian's test with only one mistake, the foamer.

"Of course," she said, nodding to confirm it was committed to memory, "I'll be extra careful."

The other staff began to filter in quickly, all of them fast in donning their aprons and getting to work, taking chairs off tables and preparing the sugars and creamers. Everyone had a wave and a welcome for Willow and she was put even more at ease by their friendliness.

Willow was given the task of opening the door to the public, some of whom were already waiting and pushed past her to get in. Brian shot her a 'told you so' look and grin and Willow smiled back. She dusted herself off and jogged back over behind the counter.

She witnessed how the line worked and admired the speed from up close.

She closed the lid on a cup and presented to the customer with a big smile, who grabbed it and marched off.

"You're welcome," she muttered under her breath, then blushed and hoped no one heard her.

She heard Brian chuckle and kept her head down, but couldn't resist a small smile in his direction to show her appreciation for the camaraderie. When the first few early risers weeded their way out, Brian taught Willow the cash register, which with her computer and math skills she really excelled at.

The 'big' rush came about 7:30 and lasted two hours, during which time Willow could barely keep up with the orders and got sent to look after tables, something she was extremely grateful for.

She cleaned them all diligently, restocked sugars and replenished the pastries as breakfast eaters cleaned them out. There wasn't much she could mess up and when the line reduced to a more manageable length, Brian put her onto the register.

She found her niche there, so much that she was asked to slow down slightly so there wasn't an overcrowding of people waiting at the drinks pass to collect.

By mid-morning there was a lull and no line.

Two people were on break so it was just Willow and Brian, who were having a friendly chat.

A single customer came to order and Brian nodded for Willow to take it. Willow approached with a smile.

"Good morning. Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get for you?"

The woman looked at Willow and clearly noticed she was new. Her nose turned up slightly.

"Venti, non-fat, no foam, no water, 6 pump, extra hot, chai tea latte."

Willow ran it through her brain once, then twice and lodged it.

"Venti, non-fat, no foam, no water, 6 pump, extra hot, chai tea latte. Will that be all?"

The woman nodded curtly, and Willow went about preparing it. She was going at a moderate speed and heard a sigh or two but tried to put it out of her mind and stay accurate. She presented the cup with a smile and it was taken, sniffed, then sipped. The woman made a gagging motion and held the cup at arm's length.

"This is disgusting! I demand it's remade."

Willow stood there, mouth hanging open, so Brian grabbed the cup.

"Right away ma'am," he said, then nudged Willow and brought her back to the machine with their backs to the customer, "Don't worry about it."

"I-I kept to the recipe," Willow replied, ashamed to have messed up.

"She's notorious around here. Just likes to complain," Brian whispered with the secret grin they'd seemed to have concocted together, "Watch this."

He discreetly poured the same drink into a new cup and presented it to her.

"Here you are, ma'am."

The woman went through the same sniff and sip routine, then nodded with narrowed eyes.

"Better."

She turned on her heels and marched out, triumphant. Willow stared after her, wide-eyed and Brian laughed.

"You get all kinds in here. Just smile and nod. "

"I see that," Willow replied, shaking her head, "Thanks for helping out."

Brian put her hand on Willow's shoulder and patted it.

"Anytime."

Willow didn't notice him linger.

The rest of the shift was thankfully calm and Willow was able to check out before the serious lunch rush began. She left via the back door, but just before it slammed she heard a shout.

"Hey newbie," Brian said, pulling the door open, "Great first day."

"Really?" Willow asked, absolutely thrilled at the compliment.

"Really," Brian assured, "I think we're on shift together again tomorrow."

"That's great," Willow replied with a smile, "I really appreciate your help."

Brian dismissed it with a hand wave.

"Hey, just my job."

"No, really, you've been so kind," Willow said, gushing slightly from her gratitude, "I was so nervous and…just, thanks."

Brian's hand hovered for a moment, then he squeezed Willow's shoulder, a bit more intimately than before.

"See you tomorrow. Have a nice evening… with your boyfriend or whatever."

"I don't have a boyfriend, I have…apparently a load of new messages," Willow replied absently as she was in the middle of turning her phone back on again and it began beeping incessantly with email notifications, "So, yes, thanks again. You were a huge help."

Brian smiled and lifted his hand in a wave.

"Bye Willow."

"Bye Brian," Willow returned, then set off for home with her free frappuccino.

It was half gone by the time she got there, and she sucked up a significant portion in surprise when she walked through the door and saw Tara sitting on the couch.

"Baby!" she said, swallowing the icy drink, "What are you doing home?"

Tara stood up.

"I took a late lunch to come see how you got on."

Willow was truly touched and went over to give Tara a hug.

"You're the best. Thank you."

Tara sat back down and tapped the spot next to her for Willow to sit.

"How'd it go?"

"Well…I get free drinks on breaks and before and after shift," Willow said, shaking the plastic cup, "And a 30% discount other times."

Tara smiled good-naturedly but prompted again.

"And?"

Willow sat back into the couch and sighed.

"It's exhausting being on your feet all day and everything is so _fast_ ," she said, kicking the dress shoes off, "The other staff seem nice. There was some brushing off to do menial tasks, but I can do menial! The guy who trained me in was super patient and kind. And I didn't drop a single thing! The register is my favourite. I can do the math quicker than it can."

"Of course you can, my brainy box," Tara replied, tapping Willow's head affectionately.

Tara offered Willow some of her drink.

"Did you know there's more than 87,000 different ways to order a drink?"

Tara coughed slightly as she swallowed.

"That's insane."

Willow nodded and began rubbing her cheek.

"They're big on the smiling with customers. Gotta smile, all the time. My face hurts."

Tara reached over and took over the task.

"I'm so proud of you."

Willow shrugged modestly.

"I only made one whole drink. I added some foam and a couple of shots to others and put lots and lots of lids on though."

"I bet you're the best lidder they ever had," Tara complimented with utter sincerity.

Willow caught Tara's wrist and kissed her fingers delicately.

"Thank you for all the encouragement. I mean that."

Tara smiled, tickled Willow's cheek one last time, then rubbed her tummy.

"Have you eaten?"

"I had a lunch break but dumb me forgot to pack food or bring my wallet," Willow replied, glad she had the very calorific coffee to keep her going, "I had a couple of granola bars stashed."

"What kind of sandwich do you want?" Tara asked, standing up again.

"Ham, tomato, cheese?" Willow asked hopefully.

Tara walked into the kitchen and took everything out of the fridge.

"Relish or mustard?" she called out.

"Any of your tomato chutney left?" Willow called back.

Tara made an affirmative noise, made up three sandwiches; one for her and two for Willow, then put a handful of chips on each plate and a pickle on Willow's. She brought them over at sat by Willow again, cross-legged.

Willow gratefully dug in, taking a huge bite of her first sandwich.

"So you're happy with everything?" she asked Willow, who was drinking down her sandwich with the last of her frappuccino.

Willow nodded surely.

"Yes. It feels good to be a working girl."

"Well, I'm cooking dinner tonight and you're getting a foot rub," Tara stated, eating more demurely but hungrily too as it was late for lunch.

"Damn, why didn't I get a job months ago?" Willow joked, "Seriously, I'll be home all afternoon, I'll cook."

"No, you'll have a nap and play on your computer and relax like us working people do on our down time," Tara replied firmly, "We'll work out a cooking rota if we need to, okay?"

Willow didn't think they would; Tara always did her fair share of cooking and chores when Willow hadn't been working, even when Willow tried to stop her.

Willow had been shown time and time again how much Tara respected her and treated her as an equal no matter what her financial contributions to their household had been. She put her sandwich down on the arm rest and took one of Tara's hands.

"I used to think partner was such an informal term, but it's true. You're my partner in everything. I know everything will be okay as long as you're by my side."

Tara looked moved, then broke out her half-smile.

"Okay, okay. You get a massage too."

Willow threw her head back and laughed, then picked her plate back up again. They both finished their meal and sat together with their feet up. Willow had her arm around Tara's shoulders and brushed her fingers against her girlfriend's arm. She turned her head in and pressed kisses into Tara's neck.

"How long's your lunch break?"

Tara held Willow's head against her neck, encouraging her.

"Not long enough…"

Willow extended her tongue and tasted Tara's creamy skin.

"Are you sure?"

Tara absolutely had to pull away then; that was far too dangerous territory.

"Unfortunately," she said regrettably and briefly squeezed Willow's knee, "I'll make it up to you."

Willow nodded understandingly.

"It's okay. It was a bonus to see you anyway."

"Promise you'll chill out today?" Tara asked, "Let's get take-out later. It's a celebratory kind day. Working girl's pick."

Willow decided that seemed like a good compromise on who cooked that evening. Plus they'd be getting in the extra cash to cover occasional treats like that.

"I want burritos…and stuff."

"I'll pick some up on the way home," Tara suggested.

Willow shook her head.

"I'll order online."

Tara grinned.

"Your order will be too big for me to carry, won't it?"

Willow leaned over and kissed Tara's lips.

"My partner in everything, including nachos. I'll share."

Tara pulled Willow's lips back to hers momentarily, then stood up.

"I better head back. I have a meeting."

"Okay," Willow replied softly, "Thank you so much for coming home."

Tara leaned down and kissed Willow's forehead.

"I'm so proud of you. And I promise I'll stop saying it now."

Willow inhaled softly from Tara's neck.

"It's always nice to hear."

They met for one last lingering kiss.

"I love you," Tara whispered.

"I love you too, Tare-bear," Willow answered.

Tara gathered up her satchel and keys.

"See you in a couple of hours for our tex-mex fiesta."

"I can't wait," Willow replied, "I'm having visions of melty cheesy goodness and soft tacos."

"You know how much I love tacos," Tara replied with a sly wink, "Bye, darling."

Willow blew a kiss, watched Tara leave and sighed happily. She fell on her side and curled up with a cushion against her chest, closing her eyes.

She welcomed the nap; dreaming of hot salsa, cool queso and Tara's shaking maracas.


	20. Chapter 20

**FivebyFive89** – I've never worked in customer service but I've seen other customers behave like that…I don't think I'd be able to restrain myself if someone was that rude to a coworker or something!

 **billy** – Thanks!

 **sara** – I think her motto is 'fail to prepare prepare to fail'

* * *

Willow untied her apron, stretching her arms in process, after a long shift.

She loved the feel of pulling the tie free, unchaining herself from its binds and signalling her work day was over. As she lifted it over her head, Brian came into the break room and waved, slightly clumsily.

"Hey Willow."

"Hey," Willow replied, hanging the apron back up, "Can't believe I got my first week done. Thanks so much for all the help."

Willow had been kept primarily on the register, though did assist with beverage making during other people's breaks and had become a dab hand at the foamer.

Restocking was another task she was much happier to be given, rather than working on the very hot machines and keeping track of the sheer volume of order possibilities – she had a good memory and could ace a written test on it all, but the practical took a lot more ability. The cranky customers were her kryptonite and she was usually quite wound up until she could finally take that apron off and release it all.

Brian had been kind in placing her where her skills were best and letting the real baristas get on with brewing. Willow very much appreciated it, though dreaded the day when a new shift supervisor would be on shift with her. So far though, she'd seemed to have been put with him every shift. She didn't know he wrote them up.

"Not a problem," Brian dismissed in his typical humble way, though with a nervous lilt in his voice, "You have the weekend off too, right?"

Willow turned around and smiled.

"Uh huh. Looking forward to it."

Brian nodded casually, a little too casually.

"Any plans?"

Willow shook her head.

"Nope. Not usually large with the big, extravagant plans."

Brian audibly swallowed, then took a step forward.

"There's a free concert on in the Pavilion tomorrow night, you know the open air arena? Do you maybe want to come?"

"Oh," Willow replied, considering it, "What kind of music?"

"Soft rock, mostly. Local bands," Brian replied, tone hopeful, "Sordid Striker, Selfless Dose…Disorder Corridor."

"Oh!" Willow replied, recognising that last one as one Tara had brought her to see a couple of times in college, "Can I bring my girlfriend? She likes those last guys."

Brian was thrown for a moment, but seemed agreeable.

"S-Sure, if you want. I'll bring my buddy."

"Great," Willow replied cheerily, "We'll meet you there. What time does it start?"

Brian visibly brightened up.

"8 o'clock," he replied, beaming, "We should meet around 7:30. Get a spot. We'll bring a blanket."

"Sure, that sounds nice," Willow replied amiably, "Let me give you my number in case we get delayed."

Brian produced his phone and Willow saved her number.

"There you go. Okay, well, we'll see you tomorrow."

"That's great, it's great," Brian gushed, pocketing his phone again, "See you then."

Willow waved, donned her jacket and headed out through the store. She stopped to get her end of shift drink and luckily there was no queue.

"Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino, right?" one of the other girls asked.

Willow smiled at the familiarity and smiled.

"Can I get a Triple Grande Vanilla Latte, too, please. Extra hot."

She paid for Tara's coffee and walked briskly home, hoping the extra hot would keep it warm until she got there. She came in the door and Tara was standing in the kitchen over the oven.

She smiled and brought the cup over.

"Here you go, you caffeine hound."

"Oh, sweetheart," Tara said gratefully, "Thank you. You didn't have to get me that. How was your day?"

"Yeah, fine," Willow replied, "What smells so good?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs," Tara replied in an awful Italian accent.

Willow giggled.

"Yum and yummier," she said, dropping her empty cup in the trash, "Do I have time to change?"

Tara nodded.

"And shower if you want, we're a few minutes out."

"Are you telling me I'm stinky?" Willow asked with a grin.

"Of course not," Tara replied, offering a hug, "You smell like coffee beans."

"Then I _definitely_ need to shower," Willow replied, already stripping off as she made her way to the bathroom, "Had enough of that stuff for this week!"

The shirt and pants weren't constricting but it was very monotonous wearing the exact same thing day in, day out. She tossed them all in the hamper, not to be seen again until they were washed and dried Sunday night for her shift Monday morning.

She picked out pyjama pants and her old college t-shirt and laid them out on the bed, then went off to have a nice hot shower.

Borne from necessity from being in college with the limited hot water supply, both she and Tara were quick bathers and it had the benefit of keeping their water bills down. She was in and out in five minutes since she didn't need to wash her hair and forwent a towel to drip-dry as she walked back into the bedroom.

She put her clothes on, happily stretching out and returned to the living room. Tara was putting the pepper grinder and a little bowl of grated parmesan on the table to go with the silverware.

"Good timing. Beer?"

"I'll get 'em," Willow replied, going over to the fridge and retrieving two bottles.

She popped the tops over the trash and carried them to the table, with Tara behind her with full plates. They sat in an L shape, as they always did so they could hold hands, and clinked bottles.

"To your first week," Tara toasted.

Willow smiled and took a long, slow sip.

"Ah…that tastes even better after a long week."

She twirled some spaghetti and popped it in her mouth.

"This is delicious, baby," she complimented, using her napkin to dab her mouth, "Oh, I hope you're not mad but I accepted an invitation for us."

"For what?" Tara asked warily.

"Concert tomorrow at some place in South End," Willow answered, using her fork to cut a meatball in half, "That band you used to take me to in college is playing with some other bands. The one that sounds like a metal band but isn't."

Tara was pleasantly surprised.

"Sounds fun," she said, eating her pasta neater than Willow, "Who invited us?"

"You know the guy I've mentioned who's been helping me out a lot?" Willow asked, not sure if Tara listened to her ramblings about work or just let her talk until she was tired.

"Was it Brian?" Tara queried.

Willow smiled, happy it was the former.

"Yeah, uh huh," she replied, "Him and a friend are going so they invited us along."

Tara squeezed Willow's hand and smiled.

"It was about time we went out on a Saturday night. We were getting far too old married couple-ish."

Willow turned her hand over and linked their fingers.

"Well, I can't wait to be an old married couple with you. So I'm totally okay with that."

She leaned over to kiss Tara's cheek, then grinned.

"But we can still be wild and free once and a while, right?"

Tara returned the grin.

"Who says we have to wait until tomorrow?"

* * *

Willow fixed her favourite sneakers over her feet and tucked the laces inside so she wouldn't trip. She was sitting on the bed and was in a prime spot to watch Tara don her clothes through the mirror.

Tara was wearing jeans tucked into boots, a red shirt and a waist-length, tight black leather jacket; all things that had returned with her from Paris.

Willow had seen them all separate, but never together in a quite so sexy get-up. She looked down at her own brown jeans and yellow t-shirt with the sun on it and immediately ran back over to the closet. She figured it was time a professional woman start to dress more appropriately, and maybe keep the fuzz and luminescence to her laundry days.

She found a purple and black checkered button down shirt and replaced her t-shirt quickly, letting its hem fall past her hips instead of tucking it in.

She came over to check it in the mirror and Tara smiled at her through it.

"Hey hot stuff."

"Hot stuff yourself," Willow replied, biting the corner of her lip, "You look amazing."

Tara tugged the sides of the jacket unsurely.

"The jacket is too much."

"Nooooo," Willow protested, "The jacket is…perfect."

Tara considered it and shrugged.

"Okay, if you say so."

"I do. I definitely do," Willow replied, breathing ever so slightly laboured, "Especially if you put that deep red lipstick on…"

Tara picked up her lipstick and applied it, dabbed her lips and presented herself to Willow.

"Yup, that's it," Willow said with a gulp.

Tara smiled and offered her arm, which Willow took proudly. They got their purses and headed for the train, standing close together as the carriage was full with people heading out on their Saturday night.

"Do you think they'll have food?" Willow asked.

"If you ate your broccoli with dinner, you'd be full," Tara said with a tut.

"Sorry, mom," Willow replied, rolling her eyes.

"There might be a popcorn stand, or a hot dog vendor or something," Tara responded, "Didn't the website say refreshments but no alcohol? Anything about food?"

Willow shrugged curtly.

"I just skimmed it."

"Oh don't be grumpy with me," Tara replied, squeezing Willow's nose affectionately.

Willow couldn't help but smile and leaned her head down against Tara's shoulder. They arrived to their stop and headed towards the concert venue. Tara broke her hand from Willow's to hold her purse closer to herself when the crowds started to pick up. Willow kept an eye out and waved towards the entrance gate when she spotted Brian.

"That's them over there."

Brian picked up his hand in a shy wave and his buddy standing beside him perked up. He was a good foot taller than Brian, with big brown eyes contrasting against his pale skin and curly brown hair to his shoulders that either needed a decent shampooing or half a bottle of hair gel less.

"The redhead is yours, right?"

"That's Willow," Brian replied respectfully.

"So the other one is mine?" his friend asked, motioning a gesture of gratitude towards the sky, then gripping both of Brian's shoulders excitedly, "Thank you, man."

Brian swallowed repeatedly as the girls approached.

"Hi!" Willow greeted warmly, standing in front of them.

"You look good, in colour. I mean not just the black and green. I mean–" Brian started to ramble until his friend nudged him and he cleared his throat, "You look good."

"Oh, thanks," Willow replied, looking quizzical for a moment before brushing it off, "This is Tara."

"Russell," Brian's friend interjected, jerking his hand towards Tara, "I'm Russell."

Tara shook his hand and smiled at them both.

"So you must be Brian."

Brian nodded and they shook hands too.

"Willow's been telling me how helpful you've been."

"It's nothing," Brian replied modestly; he would have been patient and kind even if it had been a six foot biker who'd shown up that morning, but Willow being Willow had certainly endeared her to him, "Do you guys want to head in?"

It was a large grassy area with small hills surrounding the central stage. Lots of people, most on dates were already sitting around and sharing drinks or food. The most space was near the top of the banks, but there was still decent viewing from that angle, so they all agreed on a spot easily.

Brian laid out a blanket he had under his arm, lengthways so there was room for them all to sit side by side. Willow sat down in the middle and Tara was about to sit next to her when Russell swooped in and got between them.

Tara tried to figure out a way to go around him, but when she saw Willow and Brian had started an animated conversation about Doctor Who, a subject she knew just enough about to identify but not contribute to, she just sat where she was instead.

"Hello," Russell greeted, resting his hands behind his head and flexing his biceps in the process, with attempted subtlety.

"Hi," Tara returned, folding her hands in her lap and wondering what to say, "So, do you like these bands? I like the lead singer in Disorder Corridor. Her voice is haunting."

Russell nodded easily.

"Yeah. I'm a DJ."

"Is that fun?" Tara asked.

"Lots," Russell replied, flashing a smile, "Makes me good with my hands."

Tara was entirely uncomfortable, so just offered short nods and forced smiles as Russell continued to converse with her. He was perfectly nice and friendly but she was starting to pick up a vibe that was certainly not returned.

She was unsuccessful in catching Willow's eye to save her, but got a reprieve when the first band started to play and everyone's attention was turned to the music.

She kept getting smiles from Russell and nods when a good song played. She nodded back and brought out her phone to text Willow, but she wasn't paying attention to it. Finally while the bands were changing over, she and Brian stood up and Willow looked towards her.

"Hot dogs, like you said," she said, pointing out a stall at the end of the hill, "Do you want something?"

"Willow can you…" she started, but fell back when all three faces were staring at her, "Um, yeah, get me a pretzel and a Sprite. Thanks."

Willow smiled and she and Brian skipped off together, nattering away.

"We finally get a minute alone," Russell grinned, "They can dork out together down there. It's nice to see him have someone to talk about that geeky shit with."

Tara moved onto her knees.

"You know, maybe I'll go help them."

Russell reached out and took Tara's wrist.

"Just…give them some space," he said and scooted himself towards Tara, "Look, I'll level with you. My guy needs to get laid. And he's clearly onto something good."

"Excuse me?" Tara asked tersely.

"He'll treat her right," Russell reassured, "He's a great guy. And he'll back off she's not into it. But just, let it flow okay?"

Tara's eyelids fluttered with anger, but Russell mistook it and brushed his fingers against Tara's palm.

"And while they're gone, it gives us a chance to…talk."

Tara took her hand back and rubbed her fingers together to get rid of his touch.

"Talk?"

Russell saw his opportunity and went for it.

"Unless you have a better way to use our mouths."

"I do," Tara replied, leaning down to put her red lips against Russell's ear, much to his delight, "To tell you I'm gay."

When she pulled back, Russell was just continuing to smirk.

"I'm into that."

Tara made an 'enough' motion with her hands.

"No. That doesn't mean I'm here to titillate your little fantasies. It means I don't date men, I'm not into you and whatever you think is going on here, isn't."

Russell did a double take.

"You-wha?" he asked, bewildered, "Brian didn't mention this."

Tara cast a terse glance towards the hot dog stand.

"Probably because he has no idea, seeing as it looks like he thinks he's on a date with my girlfriend right now."

Russell's eyes grew wide.

"Wait. She's a 'girlfriend' girlfriend?!"

"Yes," Tara replied, very slowly and precise as if she was talking to a five year old, "Very much so."

Russell ran a hand through his slick hair nervously.

"Aw shit," he said, holding up his hands defensively, "Listen, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to disrespect your girl…or you…shit."

They sat in awkward silence for the few minutes it took for the others to return. Russell jumped up when they came into view and grabbed Brian's arm.

"Man, I gotta talk to you."

"Later, okay?" Brian replied, shooting him daggers.

"No, now," Russell said and dragged him a few feet away.

Brian looked apologetically at Willow, who just smiled and came to sit with Tara and hand off her plastic cup and pretzel.

"I got you extra ice like you like."

Tara left them sitting on the blanket and brought Willow's elbow in.

"Willow, he thinks you're on a date."

Willow was sipping some diet coke through a straw and looked at Tara, confused.

"Huh?"

Tara physically moved Willow's face to where Brian and Russell were speaking in hushed tones and Brian was paling considerably.

"He. Thinks. You're. On. A. Date."

Willow's eyes darted back and forth until she got it.

"But I came here with you! I asked if I could bring my girlfriend."

"He didn't know that meant gay girlfriends," Tara explained, "You should have been clearer after what happened at my work party."

"Stupid straight girls stealing our word and causing untold chaos!" Willow spat, then looked to Tara, pained, "What do we do?"

"His friend is telling him now," Tara said, lowering her eyeline as they cautiously stepped back, "They're coming back."

Brian gestured over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Hey, we could, a, um, text from another friend, and um, we should, we should, we gotta go, but, um, yeah, so…"

Willow stood up.

"Brian, I'm sorry, I didn't realise–"

"My fault," Brian interrupted, unable to meet Willow's eye, "I'll…I'll see you at work."

"Yeah, I'll see you there," Willow replied and the air hung awkwardly for a moment, "Hey, I do really appreciate how you've helped me settle in. Thank you."

Brian shrugged one shoulder, eyes on the grass.

"I would have done it for anyone. And you're welcome."

"I don't want things to be weird," Willow said, dreading the thoughts of work with things like this.

Brian finally lifted his gaze and offered a weak but sincere smile.

"Not weird. I'm totally embarrassed, but it's not weird."

"You don't need to be embarrassed. I should have been clearer," Willow replied, extending her hand out, "Friends?"

Brian took it and squeezed.

"Allons-y."

Willow returned the smile and the tension seemed to dissipate.

"We are gonna go," Brian continued, still awkwardly stepping from side to side, "It was nice to meet you, Tara. And, um, sorry. No hard feelings?"

"Sure," Tara replied, keeping a protective hand on Willow's hip nonetheless, "Have a nice weekend."

The boys made a graceless exit, almost tripping over each other to get out of there, forgetting their blanket in the process.

Willow sank back onto it, dazed and confused until Tara poked her in the arm.

"You went on a date with a boy, Willow."

Willow's head reeled, then she caught Tara's grin and smiled back.

"Oh shut up, if I did, you did!"

Tara tore off a piece of her pretzel and set it down again.

"They forgot their blanket."

"I'll give it back in work," Willow replied absently, then reached for her girlfriend's hand, "Tara, I'm sorry I got us into this situation. A case of the clueless Willow strikes again. I really hate heteronormativity sometimes. All the time."

"At least they weren't creeps about it," Tara replied, then waved a hand in the air, "Forget about it. Hey, now we have a blanket all to ourselves."

Willow paused and smile. A mistaken date with Brian was not an experience she wished to repeat, but she'd take a date with Tara any day of the week.

She scooted over and rested her head in Tara's lap, enjoying the inevitable hair playing that occurred and the music as it started up again.

"So we do…"

* * *

Willow was sitting on the couch, slipping on her work shoes. Tara came out from the kitchen with a cup of coffee, still in her pyjamas. Willow noticed she was a tad off balance.

"You okay? You're carrying yourself funny."

Tara sat back on the opposite couch, still waking up.

"I slept on my shoulder funny."

"What is it with this shoulder?" Willow asked, standing up and putting her hands on her hips, "It's only ever that one you 'sleep funny' on."

"Old injury," Tara dismissed.

"Like a sports injury?" Willow teased, "Didn't peg you for sticks or balls."

"Like a 'getting shoved into a book case' injury," Tara brushed off, then offered a smile when she saw the look on Willow's face, "Nothing a hot shower won't fix."

Willow opened and closed her mouth a few times.

"I-I'll give you a massage later."

"Won't say no," Tara replied, then motioned Willow over and pecked her cheek, "Have a good day honey."

Willow nodded mutely and headed out to work. She could never get used to hearing of the horrors Tara had endured, though did her best to not make Tara take on any of her hurt on top of it all.

When she got to the store it was packed and she was roped in right away with the apron barely tied behind her back. She noticed Brian was behind the counter, the first time she'd seen him since their 'date'. He'd clearly switched shifts to avoid her for a few days, but seemed to have recovered and greeted her with the same easy smile he had on the first day.

"First weekend shift?" Brian asked as she speedily marked cups and passed them down the line.

Willow nodded and he shot her a wary look.

"Brace yourself."

Willow didn't really know what to expect from that, but she soon found out. While weekdays had considerable 'rush' times, that weekend day seemed to be constant with no let-up in customer lines or tables to clear.

She ended up being at the end of the pass, handing drinks off. She had a few verbal slips and stumbles as she remembered all of the codes at such speed and one or two people grabbed the wrong drink without waiting for her and came back to complain.

Willow didn't like her good name sullied by impatient people and was growing ever increasingly frustrated. One dressed up woman was waiting, her pointed toe tapping and oversized handbag hanging off her wrist.

"Can you hurry up?" she bleated at Willow, looking past her.

There was just one drink ready, so Willow forewent checking the name and just gave it to her. She stared at Willow as if she was a child.

"This is ice-ed," she said, over-enunciating, "I ordered a ta-all macc-hi-ato with a shot of van-ill-a syrup? Can you please get me the right drink?"

Willow turned towards the line to see where the drink was and finally saw another co-worker hold it up to indicate it was the right one but the customer was still shrilling at her.

"Can you hurry the fuck up? Are you deaf? Are you–"

The woman cut herself off with a scream as Willow found herself pushing the cup towards her so forcefully that it spilled all down her front. Willow's mouth dropped in surprise and she took a step back as the entire store looked towards them.

"You! This is Chanel! I will have your head for this!"

The not-often-seen manager came running out from his office at the screams and saw the customer screaming at Willow. He ordered her into the office and attended to the woman.

Willow sat in the office, pale, and spent the rest of the afternoon being verbally berated and eventually dismissed. Willow was on the verge of tears from the shock and being yelled at. She burned all her bridges by snatching her apron and pummelling it towards the manager, hitting him square in the chest with it.

On her stomp out, Brian came up to her, holding his visor in his hands.

"Willow, I'm sorry," he said, clearly saddened, "I tried to step in for you, I said it was an accident but that woman was screaming her head off. You're under probationary period, he wouldn't listen."

"It's not your fault, it's mine," Willow grumbled, then made herself take a deep breath, "Hey, thanks for everything."

He nodded and she started to leave, but turned at the last second.

"If you want to hang sometime, give me a call. We could do a Doctor Who marathon."

Brian smiled.

"I'm in."

Willow smiled back, then held a hand up.

"Just to be clear–"

"As friends," Brian finished, smiling still.

Willow offered a thumbs-up, then started the long walk of shame home. She sat on the stairs for a while and moped until it was time to face it all. She walked into the apartment, the envelope she'd gotten on departure still in her hands.

"You got your first paycheck," Tara noticed with a smile.

Willow closed the door behind her and gulped.

"And my last."

Tara put her book down and looked at Willow sympathetically.

"Oh sweetheart," she comforted, opening her arms, "What happened?"

Willow found herself running into Tara's arms and sobbing the whole story out.

"Was it an accident?" Tara asked gently.

Willow rubbed her sleeve under her nose.

"90%."

Tara patted Willow's hair gently.

"Well you got to experience a job. Something for the résumé."

Willow scoffed.

"Yeah, 'So Willow, why did you leave your last job'? 'Who's your reference?'"

Tara's face scrunched for a moment, imagining that conversation.

"So maybe a fast-paced job isn't the best avenue for you."

Willow's eyes dropped down.

"I'm sorry I let you down."

Tara held Willow's face gently.

"The only way you let me down is when you do something that doesn't make you happy," she replied, pecking Willow's lips, "Was your heart in Starbucks?"

Willow shook her head.

"No."

"So let's notch it up to experience," Tara suggested, hoping to impart some positivity.

Willow took in a breath, then flopped back into the seat.

"Being fired SUCKS."

Tara turned and rubbed Willow's knee.

"Order pizza, watch sci-fi and I'll change into shorts and a tank top?"

Willow cracked a smile.

"Wow, you really know how to cheer me up."

"What can I say? I'm a Willow whisperer," Tara replied with a grin, then put her lips by Willow's ear, "And I can whisper anything you want."

Willow shivered and closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation. Tara kept rubbing Willow's leg in comfort.

"I know you're very disappointed. That's okay. But let's focus on good things. You made a new friend."

"Yeah, I did," Willow agreed, unable to continue in her grump as much as she tried, "You make it hard for a girl to stay down in the dumps."

Tara leaned her head in with her nose against the side of Willow's head.

"I love you, Willow."

Willow turned her head in and kissed Tara softly.

"I love you Tara," she said, palming Tara's shoulder gently and remembering what had set off her whole bad mood, "I love you so much."

She started to massage that shoulder and felt her heart filled with more pride than coffee ever could when she heard the grateful little sigh of relief from her girlfriend and knew she was easing her pain.

She was upset and mad at herself for how things had played out, and wished she'd been able to contribute more than a few hundred dollars into their joint account, but she had an important position that she would always be grateful for having.

Being Tara's partner would always be the most fulfilling thing in her life.

"Thanks for not making me feel like a loser."

Tara kissed Willow back.

"The only loser is she who doesn't follow her heart."

Willow rested her head on Tara's chest and sighed softly.

"And I'll follow you anywhere."


	21. Chapter 21

**sara** – Apparently not obvious enough :P

 **jaiden83** – I agree, it's very important. If you have that kind of person, you can achieve most things, or at least be better able to deal with defeat.

 **billy** – Glad you enjoyed it :)

* * *

Willow was sitting on the couch, tapping away spiritedly at her laptop.

She was working on a for-fun assignment from a hacking website to keep herself entertained and distract from the complete lack of incoming emails about employment. Her computer was on its last legs, though, and its slow speeds were adding more frustration to her plate. She'd been practicing a lot of breathing exercises of late.

There had been times when she'd wanted to have a full on tantrum about the lack of focus in her life, but realising she would have to actually act like an adult if she wanted to achieve adult successes sobered her up pretty quickly.

So she sucked it up and just continued to plaster her résumé wherever she could and take the bounced-back rejections on the chin. She had been able to join unemployment forums, so at least she didn't feel like she was on her own in the black hole of joblessness.

Tara was wonderful; comforting and full of encouragement but sometimes will just needed to vent with people who understood the sting of having to read the words 'we have decided that we will not offer you an interview' over and over and over again.

Willow wasn't used to being at the bottom of the pile. She had always been at the top. That was where Tara's reassurances really _were_ a godsend – she was always Tara's top and that gave her just enough confidence to keep the slog going.

That and the occasional dubiously legal adrenaline burst she got when she revisited her old hacking days. She was able to remind herself she was good at _something_ , though did have to quash the accompanying thoughts berating herself for not doing her degree in something related to it.

One thought always won out though, the most comforting one of all.

 _If I didn't do what I did, I wouldn't have been on that path that day I met Tara._

That always made her smile and set her back on track.

She tapped the trackpad on her laptop impatiently as she waited for a command to follow through, but then had to close the lid of her laptop quickly when Tara appeared from the kitchen. She slid it away so Tara wouldn't see.

Tara was oblivious and just came to sit next to Willow on the couch.

"What?" Willow asked nervously.

"I can't sit next to you?" Tara asked, smiling, "It's your birthday next week."

Willow breathed a sigh of relief and brought her knees up under her chin.

"So?" she questioned.

Tara looked at Willow with that playful frustration that could only pass between best friends and lovers, of which they were both.

"Do you want a party?"

Willow shook her head vigorously.

"No way, I hate parties for me," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, "Plus unemployed people don't deserve parties."

Tara flicked her fingers against Willow's arm.

"If someone else said that about another person you'd jump down their throat."

Willow sighed.

"Sorry, just having my daily mopey moment."

"No luck with the job applications?" Tara asked gently, turning her flicking fingers into a gentle, soothing brush.

Willow shook her head.

"Not. One. Bite."

Tara leaned in and gave Willow a sidelong hug.

"Things will work out how they're supposed to."

Willow turned her head in towards Tara.

"Maybe you can have enough faith for the both of us."

Tara nodded.

"I can do that."

They rested their heads together for a few moments until Tara straightened up again, clearly trying for perkier conversation.

"Okay, no party. What would you like to do?"

Willow shrugged.

"Let's have a beer with Becky and Alice…and I'll invite Brian along too. I don't want a fuss."

"That's all you want to do?" Tara asked unsurely.

Willow, however, was sure.

"Yeah, it is."

"Okay," Tara agreed, deciding she could spoil Willow in little ways, "I have that afternoon off, so I'll come home and cook you a nice dinner."

"How come you have the afternoon off?" Willow queried, since Tara had taken nothing but a few sick days off since she started work.

"I'm getting a pap smear," Tara replied casually.

Willow's face scrunched up.

"Why?"

"My insurance provides it from age 23 and I just got OB/GYN approval," Tara explained, "I just got the appointment."

Willow's brow furrowed.

"Is it a male or female doctor?"

"Would either answer comfort you?" Tara asked, then clarified, "It's a woman."

She saw Willow's eyes dart around and fixed her with a look.

"Do you think I'm going to fall in love with her speculum and run away with her?"

Willow grumbled under her breath.

"No one else has ever seen your pussy before."

"She'll be opening my vagina with an instrument and observing my cervix," Tara corrected pointedly, "Entirely different."

Willow's head bobbed side-to-side, considering it.

"Well, when you put it like that…"

Tara squeezed Willow's arm.

"I'm not going to enjoy it, I promise."

"It does sound…unpleasant," Willow reasoned.

Tara shook her head and sighed.

"Jesus, Willow, my legs will be in stirrups and I'll have a hospital gown on. It's the unsexiest thing I can think of."

"Except you can make anything sexy," Willow countered, then grinned, "Will you play doctor with me sometime?"

Tara pretended to consider it.

"As long as you don't talk about scraping my cervix."

Willow shuddered.

"Speculums always look so…medieval."

Tara eyes cast off in thought.

"I actually had a bad experience with one before. I had bad UTIs when I was a kid and had to go to an urologist who used an adult one on me."

Willow smarted and winced at the same time.

"I never knew that," she said, then swallowed, "I'm sorry, I'm being a jerk. Of course it's just a medical procedure. Is that why you always pee right after sex?"

"Have you ever had a UTI?" Tara asked, and Willow shook her head, "They suck."

Willow's eyes creased with worry.

"Were you okay? Will you be okay this time?"

"Yeah, I think so," Tara nodded, not too worried about the procedure, "My mom took me to Buffalo to see a pediatric urologist and they cleared up after that. I haven't had any pain or anything since."

"I'm glad, hate thinking of you in pain," Willow replied, forcing her mind to push past the other images of Tara being so hurt so young she conjured when she pictured her girlfriend's childhood, "Um, what were we talking about?"

"Your birthday," Tara replied cheerfully, "Okay, so definitely no party but yes to the dinner. Birthday girl's pick, anything you want. What would you like to eat?"

Willow glanced downwards between Tara's legs and started to grin, but it faltered half way.

"Wait, will be able to…? Please say we'll be able to. It's my birthday. It's my divine obligation to make up for me running out on you on my first birthday together by making sure we have amazing birthday sex for now and forever."

"Yes," Tara replied, grinning only slightly at Willow's dramatics, "But not for two days before. Just two days. You'll barely notice."

Willow pouted grumpily, unconvinced. Tara rubbed her arm, palm brushing against her girlfriend's skin.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'll still take care of you."

"It's okay, I'll wait," Willow replied, self-sacrificingly, "It's not the same."

"I'll make it up to you on your birthday…" Tara replied, pressing her fingertips into Willow's collarbone, "Starting with dinner. You're the hardest chick in the world to nail down a meal request."

Willow brushed her fingertips against the exposed collarbone in the V of Tara's shirt.

"You don't usually struggle nailing me."

Tara leaned in so her mouth hovered very close to Willow's neck, breathing hot air over her sensitive skin. There was the barest brush of lips against jaw as Tara moved up to fix Willow with a steely gaze.

"Tell. Me. What. Food. You. Want. To. Eat. On. Your. Birthday."

Willow sat back, curved her lips and crossed her arms over her chest to think very carefully.

"I want…your chicken parmesan," she answered eventually, "With bacon mac'n'cheese. And garlic bread?"

Tara grabbed a notepad from the coffee table and scribbled it down so she could make sure she had the ingredients in the kitchen on the day.

"What about dessert? Will I buy a cake?"

Tara had only baked in Home Economics class in high school, and never thought to do it herself. They were more ice cream lovers when it came to dessert.

Willow shook her head.

"No, they're stupidly expensive for what they are. Ice cream is good. I want an ice cream sandwich with those giant cookies. Chocolate chip. And either Cotton Candy ice cream or Rainbow Sherbet. I'm feeling colourful."

Tara kissed Willow's cheek.

"If my birthday girl wants different coloured ice creams, then my birthday girl will get different coloured ice creams."

"Better than pens," Willow quipped.

She smiled, but then had to think about it for a second.

"Well…at least on par."

* * *

Tara sat on the examination table in a medical gown, idly kicking her feet back and forth as she waited for the doctor.

She kept herself occupied by checking out the posters on the wall depicting the female reproductive system. She found it fascinating to think how it all worked and how it was going on inside her all the time.

Minutes ticked by and Tara was wondering if she was in the right room, when the doctor came in, quick on her feet.

"Apologies for the delay," she said, looking all around for something, "Did you fill out a questionnaire?"

"Um, no," Tara replied, shaking her head, "Was I supposed to?"

The doctor put up a finger, left again, but returned promptly with a clipboard.

"I'm surprised that receptionist was able to spell her own name on the job application," she murmured before plopping down on the stool in front of Tara and shook a pen to get the ink going, "Okay, relationship status?"

"In one," Tara confirmed.

"Long term?" the doctor questioned.

Tara nodded.

"Over three years."

The doctor scribbled on the form.

"What age did you get your first period?"

"11," Tara replied without needing to recall.

"Are they regular? Painful?" the doctor prompted.

Tara shook her head.

"Just average. Nothing that bad."

The doctor had to tap the pen again for ink and seemed frustrated by it.

"Are you sexually active?" she asked and continued off Tara's nod, "How many sexual partners have you had?"

"One," Tara replied.

"Any pregnancy history?" the doctor asked, looking up to go off Tara's nodding or shaking head, "Are you on the contraceptive pill? Do you use condoms?"

When Tara shook her head, the doctor lifted an eyebrow.

"Are you comfortable with that decision?"

"Yes," Tara replied with another easy nod.

"Are you seeking to become pregnant?" the doctor questioned.

Tara shook her head and the doctor put the pen down, flabbergasted.

"Then what do you use as a contraceptive?"

"Being gay," Tara answered, very matter-of-fact.

The doctor paused with the barest hint of a smirk on her face. She tried to hide it, but couldn't and offered Tara the form.

"I'll let you fill out the rest of this yourself," she said, tone lighter than it had been since she first arrived.

Tara filled out her history over about five minutes, while the doctor prepared her instruments beside her. Tara handed the clipboard back when she was done and the doctor had a quick skim.

"You had recurrent infections as a child? Do you remember how you were treated?"

"I took some antibiotics for a while and my mom practically funnelled cranberry juice into me," Tara replied, with a hazy memory, "I think I only needed two appointments with the pediatric urologist before they cleared up."

"And no trouble since?" the doctor asked and got a head shake, "Excellent."

She snapped her gloves over her hands.

"This is your first pap, correct?"

She saw the look on Tara's face and offered a reassuring smile.

"Don't be nervous, it shouldn't hurt. Marginally uncomfortable for a moment, but it's a very quick procedure," she promised, "You can put your feet up."

Tara put her feet in the stirrups and opened her legs, with more embarrassment than she anticipated. She breathed evenly to stop herself tightening up and closed her eyes to go to her happy place.

"I'm going to insert the speculum now, okay?"

Tara swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah, okay."

Tara imagined later that evening, having drinks with friends and celebrating Willow's birthday to distract herself. The plastic wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either and wasn't anything like what it felt like when Willow stretched her. She found herself holding her breath, but was able to release quickly as the speculum was removed and the doctor's head popped up with a smile.

"All done."

Tara closed her legs and sat up carefully, though there was no pain.

"That wasn't too bad."

The doctor trashed her gloves and sealed the sample.

"We'll call you with your results in the next week or so," she said, the clipboard tucked under her arm to be added to the patient file, "I'll leave you alone to get changed."

"Thank you," Tara called after her.

She sat in the spot for a moment, grateful it was all over, then began to redress. She balled up the gown and left it in the trash, then went back out to the reception desk to sign what she needed to sign and get out of there.

She stopped by the store on the way home to get fresh cookies for Willow and while she was there, picked her up some roses. She arrived back at the apartment and presented them to Willow with a smile.

"Happy Birthday."

Willow took them with mock-suspicion.

"Are those supposed to placate me after being with your doctor whore?"

"Willow, don't call someone that, even joking," Tara replied with a tut, "It's rude and misogynistic."

"Hey, no nagging on my birthday," Willow said, then leaned in and pecked Tara's lips, "Thank you baby, they're lovely. How did you get on? You're not walking funny."

"It wasn't that bad," Tara replied with a shrug, "Stingy for a moment but I'm fine now."

Willow put her hands on Tara's shoulders and stood in close.

"I'll kiss you better later."

Tara's wrists crossed behind Willow's neck and turned her head in to kiss her. Willow's hands floated to Tara's hips and pulled in. They parted but stayed where they were, nuzzling noses.

Tara smiled, her lips barely a breath away from Willow's.

"Do you want your birthday present?"

Willow's eyes lit up like saucers.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Tara pecked Willow again and went off to find her present, hidden in the closet. Willow got her flowers in some water and returned to the couch to wait for Tara.

She returned moments later with a wrapped box and brought it over to the couch.

"I'm afraid it isn't very romantic."

"That's okay, you're hardly deficient in the romance department," Willow replied, sitting by Tara and excitedly taking the gift in her lap.

Willow tore at the packaging and revealed a fondue set.

"You loved the melted chocolate at Becky's party last year," Tara said, unusually unsure about her gift, "Thought you might like to experiment with some different flavours or dips in your down time. Plus I'll never say no if you want to make some chocolate covered strawberries."

Willow felt a pang in her heart and carefully left her present down to throw her arms around Tara.

"It's so thoughtful, and thoughtful is definitely romantic. It's practically an aphrodisiac maker!"

Tara closed the hug.

"Do you like it?"

"I _love_ it," Willow gushed, holding onto Tara tight, "You're gonna regret it when you have to taste all my weird and wild concoctions!"

Tara laughed and pressed a kiss into Willow's neck, then released her.

"Dinner in an hour?"

Willow nodded keenly.

"I've been looking forward to it all day."

"Why don't you play your computer games until it's ready?" Tara suggested and Willow grinned wildly.

"I love birthdays."

Tara held Willow's face delicately and pressed a tender kiss onto her lips. Willow's eyes flickered closed and she felt Tara take a breath with her as they parted. She lightly smacked her lips together to remember it, then she fell back onto the couch and enjoyed the heart flutterings.

She heard Tara start to clatter around the kitchen and knew it wouldn't be long until the great smells started to permeate the room.

Tara laid everything out in its station to achieve maximum cooking efficiency. She started with the chicken parmesan sauce and while that bubbled, she prepared the chicken. She'd pounded and salted it earlier, so all she had to do was coat them and get them on the pan, then put everything together in the casserole dish and smother with cheese.

While that cooked, she moved onto the mac'n'cheese, rinsing out the chicken pan to fry up the bacon bits and the sauce pan to make the new cheese sauce.

The garlic bread went into the oven at the same time as the pasta went into the water, and Tara used the leftover time to clean up everything else. She always liked to have as much done before eating as possible so they could relax after.

She set the table with the special happy birthday napkins she got and poured them both a diet coke. She served the chicken parmesan on their plates and put the garlic bread and mac'n'cheese on dishes between to serve themselves.

She approached the couch and leaned over the arm to kiss Willow's forehead from behind.

"Dinner's up, birthday girl."

Willow saved the game, closed her laptop and jumped up, her mouth watering as she approached the table.

"Yum, yum, yum!"

Tara held Willow's seat out for her and Willow sat into the table with a big smile. She took generous servings of the sides and started to dig in.

"Tara, this is so good. How come your mac'n'cheese is so much better than mine?"

Tara smiled as she speared some the salad she'd put on her own plate with her fork.

"Because mine doesn't come out of a box."

"Right," Willow replied, bobbing her head along, "And it isn't bright orange. And you know, I'm perfectly okay with that."

They leaned towards each other and met in the middle for a kiss, then continued on with their meal.

Willow finished the last of the garlic bread my mopping up the chicken parmesan sauce, then sat back with her hands over her belly.

"That…was amazing."

Tara took the plates to clear.

"Do you want first dessert?"

"Um, yes," Willow replied eagerly, "I always want dessert."

Tara got the ice cream out to soften and rinsed their dishes while she waited. She got two decent scoops onto the large cookie, then sandwiched it with another one. She brought it to Willow, whose eyes glazed over.

"Whoa…I think we're going to have to share this one!"

Tara scooted closer to Willow and they fed each other the cookies and ice-cream off a shared spoon. Tara fed Willow the last bite, then dabbed her lips with a napkin.

Willow loved the attention.

She settled back in the chair and got a curious look on her face.

"Hey, what's second dessert?"

Tara just offered a sultry crooked smile.

"You'll find out later."

Willow felt the ice-cream's cool vestige turn to simmering heat. Her hands pressed into her stomach and she forced herself to take in a deep breath right down to her abdomen.

Tara hummed as she waltzed off to load the last of the dishwasher.

"Do you want me to wear anything in particular tonight?"

Willow shook her head.

"Wear what you're in if you want. Be comfortable. Just wear pants in case we play pool. I'm not in the mood to fend off wayward stares to defend your honour."

Tara glanced at Willow sceptically as she dried her hands.

"Hmm, and will I have to defend your honour with your friend?"

"He didn't know we were together," Willow defended Brian, whom she'd been having fun afternoons with watching fantasy shows and playing games on his Xbox, "He hasn't tried anything like that since."

Tara folded her arms and considered her words carefully.

"It's nice for you to have a real life friend that's…"

"A dork," Willow finished.

"An enjoyer of similar interests," Tara corrected, "But some guys treat being gay as a challenge."

"He's not like that," Willow replied insistently, "I bet you'll really like him when you get to know him."

Tara held up her hands.

"Okay, I'm sure you're right."

"I am, for once," Willow said surely, then grinned, "That's usually your domain."

"Ha, ha," Tara replied with a playful roll of her eyes, "I'm going to get changed."

She went into the bedroom and stepped out of the grey sweats she'd worn to the doctor's office. They _were_ comfortable but she could at least snazz herself up with nice jeans and a blouse for Willow's birthday, even though she wouldn't have minded switching into pyjamas for evening.

She reached into the back of the closet for something and put it on, then dressed in the clothes she picked out. The blouse was blue, fitted and smart with a low V, one she liked to wear to tantalise Willow.

She touched up her make-up and tied her hair up, just because she knew Willow would enjoy taking it down later.

When she came back out, Willow had her feet up, listening to music and playing on her phone. Willow looked up and smiled.

"You look lovely. I love that blouse. _Just_ enough cleavage to get my mind going."

Tara came and sat next to Willow.

"The feminist in me wants to say I don't dress for anyone but myself."

"You can be a feminist and still dress for your woman," Willow replied sagely, "The feminism is in the choice."

Tara smirked.

"In that case, I totally wore this for you."

"And I love you for it," Willow replied, leaning over to peck Tara's lips.

Their arms crossed and fingers linked, while Tara leaned her head down against Willow's shoulder.

"Is this Earth, Wind & Fire? You've been playing them all the time lately."

Willow threw her other hand out dramatically.

"Would you mind… if I looked into your eyes till I'm hypnotized, and I lose my pride?" she sang off-key, "Would you mind if I make love to you till I'm satisfied?"

She dropped her arm and bent it behind her head.

"You can tell it was written by a guy. He wants to make love until _he's_ satisfied."

Tara flicked her hand against Willow's chest.

"Don't generalise."

"What did I tell you about nagging on my birthday?" Willow repeat, swinging her legs up to catch Tara's, "Quit it or I'll make you my captor."

Tara didn't resist, just grinning slightly instead.

"You look like you're trying to scissor me."

Willow frowned.

"I never really got that. There are much easier ways to rub pussies _and_ you get to touch other places too."

"We should bring that up at the next meeting," Tara replied with mock-seriousness.

Willow grabbed the couch pillow and threw it across at Tara, who grabbed it and shifted herself on top of Willow. She smothered her for a few seconds, then lifted the cushion.

"Who's in charge now?"

"Let's settle this the old fashioned way, shall we?" Willow challenged, "Thumb war."

Tara offered her thumb and their fingers linked to form the base. They played a spirited game with lots of back and forth until finally Willow pinned Tara's thumb and threw her fist up triumphantly.

"Yes!"

"Drat," Tara said, not too cut up.

Willow eyed Tara suspiciously.

"Did you let me win because it's my birthday?"

"Of course not," Tara replied in a tone that Willow couldn't figure out, though she didn't care much when Tara followed it up with a kiss.

Willow held Tara's face and gently suckled her bottom lip, making it plump. Their kiss was slow and sensual and Willow could feel it deep in her core. Their lips stilled and Willow's eyes flickered open at the same time as Tara.

Her fingers brushed against Tara's cheek and her breath hitch when Tara's eyes bore into her soul.

They stayed like that for several moments, then Tara smiled, left one last lingering kiss on Willow's lips and pulled them both up to sitting.

"Will we go down the street and wait for everybody at the bar?"

Willow swallowed a few times to get some moisture back in her mouth and shook herself together.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Just, um, let me go to the bathroom."

She pushed herself off the couch, went in to the bathroom and splashed her face, smiling as she thought of the power Tara had over her.

 _Totally hypnotised…_

And she totally loved it.


	22. Chapter 22

**FivebyFive89** – You can tell if I'm hungry when I'm writing because I'll make them eat lots of delicious food :P

 **billy** – She just might…

 **jaiden83** – They say abstinence is the only 100% method….nope! :D

* * *

Willow and Tara walked into the bar, expecting to be the first ones there.

Instead, Becky and Alice were already sitting in a booth with a drink each in front of them and were chatting away.

"Our friends are becoming friends," Willow whispered conspiringly to Tara as they headed in that direction, "We're well on our way to forming a 'gang'."

"Mwah ha ha ha," Tara whispered back, sharing a grin with Willow momentarily until they reached the table.

Becky and Alice's attention was turned as the other two approached and both offered smiles.

"Hey, happy birthday!" Becky said, standing up to give Willow a warm embrace.

"Happy Birthday, Willow," Alice greeted, waving from beside Becky, who was blocking her in.

"Thanks," Willow replied giddily, sliding in opposite them.

Tara took Willow's jacket and hung them on the back of a chair. She waited for Willow to give her drink order, who realised after a moment that she was being stared at.

"Oh. Um, I'll have a beer?"

Tara checked that the other two were okay and went to the bar to get a bottle of beer and glass of wine.

She brought them back to the table and slid in beside Willow.

"So, how is everyone?"

Becky relaxed back into the seat with her hands bent behind her head.

"I am on spring break and loving every second. If I had to read another paper on Romeo and Juliet I was going to reach for the poison myself."

Willow held her beer up and drunk from it dramatically.

"Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide. Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy seasick, weary bark. Here's to my love!"

She pecked Tara and fell back into her lap.

"O true apothecary, thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die."

Becky pretended to massage her temples in annoyance, while Alice grinned to herself.

"You missed your calling."

Willow smiled sheepishly and sat back up.

"Not so much. We did drama junior year. Tara was the real star."

"Yes, I was told my portrayal of a prostitute was quite convincing," Tara replied jestingly.

Everyone laughed and Willow cast her eyes adoringly in Tara's direction. Upon doing so, she noticed someone come in the door and left her beer down.

"There's Brian," she said, standing up and going to him to bring him over, "Hi. I'm so glad you came."

She brought him to the booth and brought a chair over for him.

"Becky, Alice, this is Brian. And um, vice versa."

The girls greeted him and he waved awkwardly at Alice, lingered on Becky for a moment, before turning his attention to the other side, nervously.

"Hi again, Tara."

"Hello," Tara replied cordially.

Willow resumed her seat and Tara put her arm around Willow's shoulders protectively, and a little possessively. Becky gave Brian the once over while he signalled to the barman to bring him a beer. She noticed the way his eyes were failing to look at anyone in particular and just couldn't help herself.

"I've been dying to meet the only guy to ever bring Willow out on a date."

She got the expected kick in the shins from Willow but decided the adorable blush that rose on Brian's cheeks to be worth it. Brian sat up straighter and looked ahead, and from time to time at the others.

"Sorry I'm late. I had a poker game with a few of the guys."

"You play poker?" Tara asked, lifting her chin a tad, "What's your win rate?"

Brian seemed surprised but answered straight away.

"6 bb/100."

"That's impressive," Tara commented, nodding her head.

Willow, on the other hand, was staring at Tara, agape.

"… _you_ play poker?"

Tara shrugged.

"I've picked up a hand or two when I'm volunteering. No money exchanges hands."

Willow blinked several times.

"Pool, poker…any other stray hobbies I have no idea about?"

Tara smirked and used the arm around Willow to pull her in momentarily.

"Maybe I'll keep you guessing."

Willow kissed Tara again, but briefly. She settled back into their seats and Alice leaned forward.

"Tara, how was the doctor?" she asked with concern, "I've used her before she moved into that practice and she was very good."

"Are you sick?" Becky asked with a raised eyebrow.

Alice's eyes grew wide.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think. That was completely inappropriate."

"It's okay," Tara dismissed, though not without a blush, "Just got a routine pap smear done this afternoon."

"I've been avoiding that forever," Becky groaned, "Was it bad?"

Tara glanced at Brian, who still seemed nervous but not at all put out by the conversation. She realised how harmless he really was and loosened her grip on Willow, though still kept her arm there, because she liked it.

"Not at all really," she answered.

"Told you, you had nothing to worry about," Alice replied with a smile, "When you get to my age, it will be just another chore on the list."

"Because you're so much older than me," Tara said back with a good-natured shake of her head.

Alice took a long sip from her wine glass.

"You notch up plenty of life experience in those few years, believe me."

There was a momentary awkward lull, but Becky was ever-quick to fill it.

"Let's do presents!"

Alice welcomed the opportunity to move past her faux pas and presented Willow with a small and neatly wrapped gift.

"I'm afraid I'm not the best gift buyer. I went off Tara's suggestion."

"Thank you, that's so kind. I wasn't expecting anything," Willow replied, truly touched, then excited when she opened it and revealed a new Star Trek-themed phone case with the Starfleet logo and 'Starfleet Academy Alumni' on it, "Oh my god, cool!"

She tore it right out of its packaging and fit it onto her phone.

"I love it! Thank you!"

She reached over the table and gave Alice a momentary embrace, which was as physical as they'd ever been but it felt natural. Brian shyly took something out from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to Willow. Willow smiled at him and opened her present of the latest Doctor Who DVDs.

"Special features!" she exclaimed as she read the back, "Wow, you guys…really wasn't expecting all of this. Thank you."

She hugged Brian too and gauged Tara's reaction, happy to just see her smiling.

"My turn!" Becky announced, standing up and walking over to the bar, when the bartender handed her a quite large rectangle of a gift she had hidden behind there.

"Wowza," Willow commented with a grin, "Is it…safe to open in public?"

Becky nodded, but Willow was still cautious as she opened it. Instead of embarrassed, though, she was left stunned.

"You said your one was running out of steam," Becky explained, obviously gleeful.

Willow stared at the brand new, top of the range laptop, unblinking.

"It was, but…Jesus, Becky, this was hundreds of dollars."

Becky waved a hand dismissively.

"My dad said he'd buy me a new laptop and wired me cash. With three zeros and no 'one'. I even offered to send him the balance back but he said 'don't bother' and went off to attend to one of my many half-siblings," she explained, taking a long swig of beer afterwards, "Anyway, someone might as well get something out of his ignorance."

Willow's mouth opened and closed.

"I don't know if I can accept it."

"Oh just shut up and take my present," Becky replied with a grin, but was quick to stand up, "Who wants more beer?"

Willow was the only other one with a near-finished drink, so she jumped up and followed Becky to the bar. She sat up on a stool and regarded her friend.

"You had a fight with your Dad, didn't you?"

Becky just shrugged, a worn out slump of her shoulders.

"I think I'm finally done with trying. Neither of his families wants anything to do with me. They think I'm just part of his 'white trash first marriage'. I gotta stop taking his money and I gotta stop contacting him. Let him come to me if he cares enough. If he doesn't, well, at least I know."

Willow patted Becky's back.

"You know I've gone through something like this. I'm here for you."

Becky smiled at Willow, a real, genuine, caring smile.

"It's your birthday. And I'm good," she reassured, then playfully punched Willow's shoulder, "But I'll be super offended if you don't take my gift."

Willow swallowed a lump, her eyes growing glassy.

"Thank you, Becky. Really, it's…so generous."

"Hey, come on," Becky replied, squeezing Willow around the shoulders, then offering her requisite smirk, "Your boyfriend has that adorkable thing going on."

Willow sobered up quickly and pushed her hands together in a praying motion.

"Please. Please. Please. Do not call him that. Do not stir the pot," she begged, "Tara's only warming up to him and it's nice to have a buddy who works shifts and is around during the day sometimes."

Becky pretended to give it serious thought.

"Alright, alright, I'll be good," she replied, throwing her hands up to heaven, "I'm like the Mother freakin' Theresa of Fenway. Are you hungry?"

Willow was always hungry.

"Tara made me chicken parm and mac'n'cheese…but I could eat some wings."

They ordered a few baskets for the table, clinked their beers with each other and returned to the booth.

Everyone seemed to settle quickly and went back and forth between individual conversations and conversations around the whole table. Becky found herself oddly stimulated by a discussion of James Joyce with Brian and Willow was given the chance to converse with Alice more with the conversation not being dominated by Becky.

She learned Alice was starting to seriously date again after getting out of a long relationship months previously, which pulled Becky into the conversation to open up about the aftermath of Jack. They decided they'd go out on the prowl together and laughed as they discussed their 'types' and how they differed so were unlikely to fight over a man.

Everyone seemed to gel so cohesively and it was nice to be able to float between conversations and jokes with no one being left out.

A few drinks down, Tara was getting to her preferred limit of tipsy for a work night and headed into the bathroom. She used the stall and came out to wash her hands and splash her face.

As she was drying her hands with some paper towels, another stall flushed and Willow came out and over to wash her hands. Tara eyed her for a moment or two, then sidled up to her.

"Hey Willow."

Willow smiled over at Tara, who had a quick glance around, then unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans and folded down the side to reveal the white lace underneath.

Willow did the exact same glance all around and closed the already very small gap between them.

"Are those new panties?" she asked, her speeding heart showing up with some slightly laboured breath.

Tara ran her fingers upwards on the lace, then winked at Willow.

"They're not just panties."

Willow's eyes grew wide, while Tara just zipped up and walked out with a grin. She sat back in the booth and lifted her bottle of beer towards Brian.

"Come over sometime and we'll play poker."

Brian smiled shyly and nodded.

"I'd like that."

"I like some Texas Hold 'Em. Can I join the party?" Becky asked.

Tara nodded.

"Sure, everyone should come along."

There were nods of agreement around, which was almost immediately interrupted by Willow blowing in like a tornado.

"We gotta gooooo."

Becky smirked.

"Uh oh, did you have an accident in the bathroom?"

Willow's mouth practically dropped to the floor.

"No! God, no!" she spat, red from head to toe, "It's just…it's late, okay? Jesus!"

Becky held her hands up defensively and Willow dropped into the seat beside Tara. Tara brushed the backs of her fingers against Willow's arm.

"We can go home if you want, sweetheart. I'm maxed out on wine anyway."

"You know, me too," Alice said, stretching her neck back, "And I have the _longest_ staff meeting on in the morning. Thank god they're only once monthly."

Tara smiled.

"I'm lucky, we just get the condensed version after."

"Oh you'll be in a senior positon one day and you'll see," Alice replied with a returned grin, then gathered up her purse, "Thank you both for inviting me. Happy Birthday, Willow."

Everyone waved goodbye and Becky necked the last of her beer.

"Where do you live?" she asked Brian.

"Hyde Park," Brian answered.

Becky nodded.

"We're catching the same line. Wanna head out?"

Brian smiled slowly and nodded.

"Sure," he agreed and they both stood to put their jackets on, "Goodnight. Happy Birthday."

Becky waggled her fingers in a wave.

"Happy Birthday, Will."

Willow returned a grateful smile to Becky.

"Thank you. We'll see you guys soon."

They left and Tara threw her arm around Willow's shoulders again.

"Just you and me missus."

Willow splayed her hand on Tara's thigh.

"And that white lace…whatever it is."

Tara threw her sultry half-smile at Willow.

"Want to come find out?"

Willow's head bobbed up and down so fast her skin was jostling. Tara took her hand, hooked their jackets over her arm and pulled her out of the booth. Willow carried her new laptop by the handle while Tara tucked the DVDs under her arm.

They briskly walked down the street, past the few buildings until they got to their own.

Willow threw herself at Tara once they were inside the main door and they stumbled up the stairs tangled into each other whilst trying not to drop the presents.

A woman passed by them on the landing between the first and second floor and they tried to inconspicuously separate, though Willow still pressed her front right into Tara's back and began kissing her neck when the woman was gone.

Tara had her key out by the time they reached their door and made her first slide of the evening to open it and get them inside. Their jackets landed on the arm of the couch while the laptop and DVDs were left on the table.

Willow jumped up and down, then pulled Tara into the bedroom by her shirt.

"Show me, show me, show me."

Tara placed her palm flat on Willow's chest and pushed her back onto the bed. Willow crawled back on her elbows while Tara turned around to the CD player on the dresser to put on some mood music.

When she found a beat she liked, she turned back around and locked eyes with Willow, smiling her special Willow-only smile. She started to sway until Willow was utterly transfixed, then popped the button on her jeans.

Willow's head followed Tara's pants dropping, but it provided no greater clues as to the mystery of the white lace, as her shirt fell past her panty-line. Though Tara half-naked in a mid-thigh shirt was a sight in and of itself.

She watched Tara slowly unbutton the shirt and even more slowly reveal what was underneath; a white, lace bustier to match the panties, which were attached to each other with white clips.

Willow felt a physical ache between her legs and had to close them very firmly.

"Oof."

"Do you like it?" Tara asked sensually, running her hands along the lacy stomach portion.

"Y-yeah, yes," Willow replied, swallowing to get some moisture, eyes falling to the stretch of skin between the bustier and panties.

Tara took rhythmic steps towards the bed and climbed on, straddling Willow with her thighs spread at an angle.

Willow's hips rose of their own accord and gave a gentle grind back into the bed. Her fingertips caressed Tara's thighs, then the lace panties.

"It's…pretty."

She hooked two fingers under the waistband and lifted herself up. She dipped a finger into Tara's cleavage and followed the pattern of the lace.

"And you're…" she started, glancing up to meet Tara's eyes through her eyelashes, "Sexy."

Their chests were touching and Willow closed the small gap between their faces so their noses were brushing and breath mingling.

"So sexy."

Willow teased Tara's lips, going in to kiss her but pulling back at the last second. Tara could only bear the torment for so long before grabbing Willow's cheeks and smooching her with the ferocity of the passion bubbling in her belly.

Willow lifted her own shirt over her head, then her hands slid behind Tara's neck and pulled her even closer. Tara reached behind Willow and unsnapped her bra. It fell off as Willow dropped her hands to Tara's hips.

Tara put Willow on her back, staying locked at the lips the whole way. She pressed her body against Willow's, then sat back and started pulling her girlfriend's pants off. Willow lifted her hips to help and pushed her panties down to go with them.

Tara tossed the clothing off the bed and pulled Willow's hips down to press kisses around her stomach and torso. She turned Willow onto her tummy and gave the same treatment to her back and down to kiss her cheeks.

Willow moaned into the pillow and felt a deep shudder wrack through her as Tara's lips trailed back up her spine and into her neck.

"Mmm, baby…"

Tara's tongue poked out and followed the curve of Willow's ear.

"Do you like that?" she whispered when Willow shivered again beneath her.

"Yessss," Willow replied, teeth biting the pillow.

Tara brushed the hair away from the nape of Willow's neck and pressed kisses to the top of her spine.

Willow felt the lace brush against her back, tickling her and making her even more sensitive to the caress of Tara's hands and lips. When she felt herself becoming slick between her legs, she turned onto her back again. She sat up on her elbows and sought Tara's lips.

Tara climbed back over Willow and kissed her again, repeatedly, like she couldn't get enough. She was moaning between each one and felt Willow's returning ones vibrate past her lips.

Her kisses became sloppier as she fondled Willow's breasts and felt her squirm beneath. The draw south quickly became too much to resist and she dragged herself away from the lips on Willow's mouth to the ones between her legs.

She separated and spread Willow's thighs, then dropped her mouth in there and had her tongue lick her girlfriend's length.

Willow's neck arched back into the pillows and her hips thrust up to meet Tara's mouth. She felt Tara's mouth on her clit, sucking pleasure from her. It shook through her and made her inner muscles squeeze, craving Tara deeply inside her.

She put a hand on Tara's head and took another minute or two of her girlfriend's gifted tongue before gripping her shoulder and bringing her back up. She cupped Tara's cheeks and kissed her soundly, then sat up and made a pull at the lingerie.

It all seemed tight and snug, so she had to break the kiss, licking her lips as her taste lingered.

"How do you get this thing off?"

"Hopefully a lot easier than getting it on," Tara replied, turning around so Willow had access to the ties at the back.

Willow chuckled and started to unlace the bustier. Tara unsnapped each of the clips attaching it to her panties and Willow felt that pang between her legs at the sound of each one. She sped up, her fingers started to fall over themselves to get it off Tara faster.

"Where did you get this?"

"A place downtown," Tara replied, throwing a half-smile over her shoulder, "Sales are our friend."

Willow grinned back.

"I'm definitely friends with anything that looks so hot on you," she said, taking the opportunity to caress the skin on Tara's back as it was exposed, "But even a trash bag would look hot on you."

Finally Willow pulled the last tie free. Tara lifted it off her chest as it sagged in front of her and left it leaning against the bed on the floor to hang up properly later.

Willow laid back down as Tara turned back around, straddling her again but this time with her breasts hanging lusciously on her chest. Willow cupped a breast and pinched a nipple that was already rock hard and pebbled from the chafing of the bustier. She brought Tara down and laid them both on her sides, then took Tara's nipple in her mouth and ran her tongue around the areola.

Tara's hand was on the back of Willow's neck, fingertips digging in there encouragingly to compliment the moans coming from her mouth. Eventually they were kissing again and Willow was pulling Tara's panties down her legs. She swung her leg over Tara's hips and lowered herself so their bodies were flush with each other.

They paused at the same moment and looked into each other's eyes, recognised the burn and began to grind. They watched as the lust surged behind each other's eyelids and were quickly kissing and nipping one another's faces and neck passionately.

Tara reached between Willow's legs and entered her, fulfilling the need Willow had. That need was quickly replaced with a need for friction and she moved her hips at the pace she wanted.

Tara's other hand moved up and down Willow's back, over the curve of her back and right up again to snatch at her girlfriend's hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss.

Willow could feel Tara's hunger for her and it made her quake. She could feel her arousal slipping past Tara's fingers and managed a strained 'more' during a momentary break of their lips.

Tara added a third finger and felt Willow start to become undone almost immediately. Willow's hips became frantic and the kiss was just a sloppy mess of smushed mouths and tongues.

Willow grabbed one of Tara's breasts and squeezed again and again, which was all the push she needed to orgasm on the spot. Her eyes close and neck arched back as the shudders wracked through her.

Finally her head flopped back down and her eyes met Tara's still very lust-filled ones. She released Tara's breast, though not without leaving some light nail indentations. She fell off to the side, sidled up as close to Tara as she could be and began caressing her thigh. She slowly worked her way inwards until a finger was on Tara's clit and rubbing very lightly.

"Do you like that?" she whispered, mimicking Tara from earlier.

Tara's teeth were digging into her bottom lip and slowly dragged off so she could take in a gasp. Willow dipped her finger to get it wet and offered a bit more firmness in her touch.

Willow watched Tara's facial expressions and teased her just as much as she could bear before really providing a decent rubbing with the aim of getting her off, though didn't go so hard that it would all be over in a minute. She enjoyed witnessing the journey as much as Tara's writhing body enjoyed experiencing it.

Tara's toes curled and released as the pleasured swelled in her abdomen. Her moans grew more and more desperate until finally there was the low hum of a moan that signalled her orgasm.

She relaxed with a slow exhale and covered her face with her hands, rubbing slightly to wake up from the haze lifting from her head.

"Wow, was it your birthday or mine?"

"Mine! I got all the presents!" Willow replied with a giggle, then blinked a couple of times, "Wow. I got a new laptop."

Willow curled into Tara's side and Tara wrapped her arm around her.

"Is she okay?"

"Well I haven't turned her on yet but she's a great model!" Willow replied enthusiastically.

Tara's head turned to give Willow a look.

"Becky."

Willow blushed.

"Oh," she replied sheepishly, "You know, her dad stuff has been going on for years. I think she got a glimmer of hope when he showed up for graduation and she's finally just letting it all go. It's rough, but the thing with Becky is, she'll reach out if she really needs it. Otherwise she just doesn't want to be reminded. I know from my stuff too that you just need to go through your own process. You wouldn't under–"

Willow immediately stopped herself and looked at Tara apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I can't believe I said that."

Tara did a friendly roll eyes and dismissed it.

"You get a birthday pass."

Willow pointed at herself.

"Doofus, party of one."

Tara brushed her fingers against Willow's cheek.

"You're lucky you're cute," she said, enjoying the smile it produced, "I'm truly honoured I have your attention when that new toy is just sitting out there."

"I was trying to be a gentlewoman and wait 'til you go to sleep," Willow replied nobly.

Tara smiled.

"You're sweet."

"Not all altruistic," Willow replied, gently circling Tara's areola again, "Gettin' plenty out of this, trust me."

Tara shivered, then sighed.

"I wish I didn't have to get up in the morning."

"Call in sick," Willow suggested.

Tara shook her head.

"I can't do that. I just took a half day. Besides Alice would figure out I'm faking."

"Well at least it's only one day and then we have the whooollleee weekend," Willow replied, kissing Tara's cheek, "And I promise I'll only spend half of it on my new computer."

"You spend all the time you want," Tara offered genuinely, "You know I was really worried your old one would give out and we wouldn't be able to afford a new one. I've been putting some money aside."

Willow paused and looked up at Tara, utterly touched.

"You are the kindest, sweetest, most beautiful woman in the world, inside and out," she said emotionally.

The shared a soft, sweet kiss that lingered for a moment, then their eyes met again. It just took the split second for that rush to come back between them and Tara reached down to cup Willow's ass.

"Can your computering wait an hour?"

Willow slid back on top of Tara and pressed fully against her.

"Abso-fricken'-lutely."


	23. Chapter 23

**billy** – She's pretty nice, on a good day ;)

 **jaiden83** – Sorry, but she's 100% taken!

 **sara** \- It started way back when, in college. Willow got a baby doll for the first of Tara's birthdays they spent together, and then on Willow's subsequent birthday, Tara made a corset dress (her Under Your Spell dress) and made the corset detachable for 'night time' activities ;)

* * *

Tara walked out from the bedroom, holding the phone in one hand with a look of confusion and worry on her face.

Willow was sitting at the table, working on some job applications, but closed her laptop when she saw the look on Tara's face.

"You okay, baby?"

Tara put the phone down on the table and clutched the back of the nearest chair.

"That was my gynaecologist. She had the results from my pap smear."

Willow's brow furrowed with concern.

"Is everything okay?"

Tara's mouth opened, but it promptly closed again as she tried to process what to say.

"I…she said I have HPV."

Willow did not one, but two visible double-takes.

"Huh?"

"She said my pap was inconclusive so they ran a HPV test…" Tara replied, clutching her head to remember exactly, "I have to get something done…a biopsy."

Willow's eyes bugged.

"A biopsy?!"

"A… colposcopy I think she said?" Tara asked, still taking in everything from the phone call and repeating herself, "The pap came back inconclusive."

Willow jumped up and walked around to where Tara was.

"Tara they must have gotten your test results mixed up. Where would you have gotten HPV?"

"That's what I said, I explained," Tara replied with a swift nod, "They said everything is double checked on either end."

"Well then it's a false positive!" Willow exclaimed in disbelief.

"Don't yell at me, please," Tara said, holding up her hands to give herself some breathing space, "They said they ran it two different ways."

"Conveniently efficient," Willow sneered.

"She said they have accuracy procedures in place because this can come back as a false positive sometimes. And they don't even normally run the test at my age, but because of the inconclusive pap smear they had to check."

Willow head shook repeatedly and her arms finally crossed over her chest.

"So, what, you have HPV?"

The energy Willow was giving off made Tara adopt much the same pose.

"Apparently."

Their eyes were locked, but with complete tension. Willow felt like looking away but didn't back down.

"I don't know why you're looking at me all pissy right now."

"Because I sure as hell didn't touch anybody else," Tara retorted evenly.

"You think I gave it to you?!" Willow yelled angrily, "You're the one coming home with an STD!"

Willow saw her words prick Tara's eyes, before they disappeared behind her hands to sounds of distressed tears. Willow immediately dropped her arms and closed the gap, wrapping herself around her girlfriend.

"Tara, I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "I'm so sorry. I know you didn't cheat on me. I know that."

She hugged Tara harder and brought her over to sit on the couch, offering a tissue and sticking close by with an arm around her shoulders. She got Tara another tissue when the first was wetted and her hand dropped to gently rub the small of Tara's back.

"Baby, I swear I never did anything. I swear."

Tara nodded quickly, not needing to be convinced. She wiped the tissue under her nose.

"I don't know how this happened."

Willow's face grimaced as she forced herself to ask a question she didn't want to.

"Tara, did…did something ever happen to you?"

Tara's face creased repeatedly.

"No…no, I… I don't think so," she said, mouth opening and closing a few times in silence, "I don't remember, I…"

Her hand covered her mouth and Willow pulled her closer.

"It's okay," she soothed, "It's okay. I'm here."

Tara's head was spinning and was feeling real deep fear for the first time in a long time.

"What if I have–"

"We can't go there," Willow interrupted, finding herself quashing her own panic to take care of Tara's, "'Inconclusive' does not mean anything bad. It means unsure. Do you know how often my science experiments came back 'inconclusive'? Probably more often than not. You just repeat the test and sometimes change it to help you see the results better. That's what the biopsy is, a clearer picture."

Her words seemed to be helping Tara some, so Willow kept going in the most stress-free tone she could muster.

"I don't know much, but I do know cervical cancer is really rare and even rarer when you're our age. I don't think that's something we'll need to worry about at all."

Tara trusted Willow, so she was able to take that in with a nod.

"Okay."

Willow could see she was still a little stunned.

"I think you should go lie down. You've had a shock. I'll bring you in some water."

Tara just nodded again.

"Okay."

She blinked a couple of times, stood up, wiped her tissue under her nose again and walked into the bedroom. Willow retrieved a glass and let the tap run for a few seconds to let it get cold. She watched the stream in a bit of a daze, then finally snapped out of it, splashed her face and filled the glass up.

She brought it in to Tara, who was lying on her side with the blanket around her and her eyes already closed.

She set the glass down quietly, kissed Tara's forehead and headed back out to immediately reboot her computer – but job applications were the last thing on her mind.

A couple of hours later, Willow had a bunch of documents and webpages open and had had to stop herself from hacking some of Tara's private files to get information that she wanted.

She was at a lull with her theories until she could find out more, but she'd at the very least ask Tara's permission first.

Tara eventually made an appearance again, her clothes a little creased and her hair a little mussed.

"Hey," Willow said softly, lowering her screen at an angle but not closed completely.

Tara had her arms folded lightly and lifted her eyes just enough to meet Willow's.

"Hi."

Willow patted the spot down beside her. She'd been doing reams of research and was at least partially relieved that the information she'd given Tara about the rarity of cancer was correct. It wouldn't stop her worrying until the all clear came back, but it would make her reassurances to Tara more confident.

"How are you feeling?"

Tara sat back into the seat and held a cushion to her front.

"Confused."

Willow nodded understandingly.

"I've been wracking my brain and google all evening trying to put everything together. You know, there's lots of different strains of HPV and most don't cause any symptoms or problems at all."

"That would be comforting if I knew where I got it from," Tara replied, squeezing the cushion tighter.

"I was thinking about that too," Willow said, her fingers tingling as she lifted the lid of her laptop up again, "Tara, who was your doctor when you were little?"

Tara just looked confused again.

"My primary care doctor? I can't remember his name. I didn't see him after my Mom died."

Willow shook her head.

"No, the asshole who hurt you with the adult speculum."

"I'm not sur–" Tara started, but then suddenly was flooded with the memory, "Oh wait, no I do remember. I remember being terrified of him because he was bald like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family and had really creepy eyes, but his name was also Dr. Fester. It was like he styled himself on him when he got stuck with the name."

Willow's hands started moving across the keyboard like a cheetah running on land, pulling up page after page and speed-reading them for pertinent information.

"What are you doing?" Tara questioned, trying to peer over.

"Just give me a couple of minutes," Willow requested, though kindly, "Do you remember the hospital?"

Tara shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry."

Willow was hyper focused and cross matched the name with the area Tara lived in as a child.

"Was it Bennett Memorial hospital?"

"I…yes?" Tara replied, not quite sure, "I think so? Willow, I was nine. It could have been–"

Willow suddenly pulled up a picture and turned the screen for Tara to see.

"Is that it?"

Tara actually did recognise the water feature at the front of the building. It was a wishing fountain and her mother had always given her a quarter to make a wish with.

"Yeah, I think so."

Tara's eyes were cast downwards as she remembered her mother and her cheerful smile. That memory was quickly replaced with less pleasant ones when Willow showed her another picture of Doctor Fester.

"Is that him?"

Tara shuddered; he still gave her the creeps.

"Yes. Yes, it is," she answered, then asked more insistently, "Why are you looking all of this up?"

Willow's eyes bored into the screen and Tara had to wave a hand in front of her.

"Willow?"

"Well that's the only other time your genitals were exposed to some–" Willow started to explain but interrupted herself as finally something useful came up, "There!"

Willow brought up an old newspaper article, from a local newspaper, which would have never been unearthed but for her keen skills in all things internet exploration. She scooted closer to Tara so they could read it together.

"Look what this says. A woman sued him in the nineties for giving her HIV from not sterilising his equipment. There were nine other women who came forward with different diseases they claimed they'd gotten from being in his care all over the country. He lost, big time. Nurses testified, everything. The internet was only new and the women's identities were protected so it never became a big story."

Willow put a hand on Tara's shoulder.

"Tara, he could have given you the HPV."

Tara's head reeled.

"Is that even possible? Isn't it skin-to-skin?"

"It's rare, but it can happen. Look, I've been doing this research all afternoon. There's been cases of it in children and total virgins with no sexual contact," Willow explained, briefly showing Tara page after page she'd been reading, "The doctor could have even had it on his fingers when he examined you. If he was reckless enough to do what he did to you AND what he did to these other poor women, he might not have even changed gloves."

Tara leaned forward with her head in her hands.

"Baby," Willow approached gently, "You need to get a full STD panel done."

"I…" Tara replied, at a loss, "What about you?"

"Hey, don't worry about me. I never get sick," Willow replied with some levity, then nodded seriously, "But I'll get tested too."

Tara's eyes welled up again and Willow pushed her laptop to the side to gather her in.

"Tara, it's okay…if this is what happened…it's been so long, if there was anything else it probably would have shown up by now. There's no way there's something really bad like HIV in you."

"The HPV didn't show up," Tara replied, sniffling, "What if I have something that makes you infertile? What if I can't have a baby?"

"There's treatments," Willow reassured, "Or I'll have a baby. Or we'll adopt, or…there are lots of options. And that is way jumping the gun."

Tara took in some deep breaths and Willow encouraged her by syncing up.

"It's gonna be okay."

Tara plucked a new tissue and wiped at her eyes

"What if I passed something horrible to you?"

"We're gonna be okay," Willow insisted.

Tara's eyes were on the floor, unable to look at Willow.

"You need to get a HPV test too."

Willow nodded.

"Yeah, I'll get a full work-up at the free clinic."

Tara shook her head.

"No, they have to check cervical cells."

"Okay…" Willow replied, then realised Tara meant the procedure was more invasive than a blood test, "Oh. Okay."

"I'll pay for it," Tara said, nodding resolutely, "I'll work overtime."

Willow waved a hand dismissively.

"We'll work it out."

Tara couldn't help tearing up again.

"I'm so sorry, Willow."

Willow brought Tara into an embrace.

"It's not your fault," she said surely, then pulled back and held Tara's face in her hands, "Listen to me. It's not your fault."

Tara nodded and resumed her even breathing.

"Where is this doctor, what happened?"

Willow put her computer back in her lap.

"He paid damages and he lost his medical licence," she read and noticed the article beneath on her enhanced search was his obituary, "And he died three years ago. Great. Now I can't make his life a living hell."

Tara's hands clutched her stomach.

"Please don't do that…hacky stuff, Willow. It makes me sick with worry."

"I won't do anything about this," Willow replied, unable to hide a snarl, "Except spit on his grave if I ever see it."

She mumbled expletives at the screen and his picture.

"It says they contacted everyone that had been in his care."

Tara swallowed.

"They probably called my dad," she said, then added on quietly, "He didn't care."

Willow felt rage rip through her and it took every ounce of self-control for her to be calm for Tara.

"Come here," she said, offering Tara a neck rub, "We're gonna get through this. When's your biopsy?"

"Tuesday morning," Tara replied shakily.

Willow nodded assuredly.

"Okay. Let's call back in the morning and see if we can get another appointment for the HPV test or pap smear or whatever I have to get done, and I can go to the free clinic that afternoon for the other tests, get it all over with."

"M-me too," Tara replied, "I don't want STD testing on my insurance."

Willow nodded softly.

"We'll go together. You'll be able to take a sick day for a follow-up, right?"

Tara nodded, but found herself completely overwhelmed with worry and fear. She hated that she couldn't control the tears and was fraught imagining it sticking with her until their results.

"I can't do this."

Willow kissed Tara's forehead, then her mouth; soft and tender. Tara returned and kissed her back until Willow rested their foreheads together again.

"We can do this," she promised.

Tara nodded again, to convince herself more than anything else.

"We can get through the next few days until we know exactly what's going on."

"We can be strong," Willow reaffirmed.

"Strong like an amazon?" Tara asked.

Willow nodded.

"Strong like an amazon, right."

They offered each other weak smiles, but they were strong enough to reassure each other they would cope – just as long as they stuck together.

* * *

Willow's thumbs rushed speedily across her phone screen as she played a game to distract herself from the monotony of the doctor's waiting room.

It wasn't the worst waiting room in the world, the interior wasn't gaudy and they had a water cooler available, but her last visit resulting in her first pap smear hadn't been the most pleasant. She would be happy if, after that day, she never had to step foot in there for a long while.

She hoped they'd both get clear results from their respective tests and be able to move on from the fret and worry.

It had been a long couple of weeks.

Just as she was about to beat her high score, a message popped up on screen and caused the game to abort. She clenched her jaw to stop the string of expletives from leaving her mouth, but her frustration left abruptly when she saw who the sender was.

She opened up the message, then clutched Tara's arm and showed her. Tara read it all and visibly slumped.

"Oh, thank god."

"Did you get a text?" Willow prompted, somewhat impatiently.

Tara searched through her purse and saw she had an hour old text from the free clinic with her STD test results.

"I didn't hear it."

She opened it and saw it matched the negative results of Willow's text. Willow read over her shoulder and smiled.

"Well there's the biggest relief already over with. Nothing nasty. Collective exhale please."

They breathed in and out together and Willow put her hand over Tara's to squeeze.

"We're gonna be just fine."

A few minutes later they were called into the doctor's office, who followed them after a moment or two, carrying both of their files.

"I don't usually have two patients together," she said as she sat behind her desk, "But didn't I see both of you last week too?"

"We paid for a two appointments but we wanted to stick together," Willow explained quickly, "And you can say anything about me in front of her."

Tara nodded.

"Same here."

"Is that okay?" Willow asked, worried about Tara having to face possible bad news alone.

"Yes, of course, not a problem," the doctor replied airily and quickly got down to business, "Tara, first of all, your biopsy result is clear. There were no abnormal cells and everything is completely as it should be."

Tara's eyes closed and Willow sighed in relief.

"Thank god…thank god."

"And…Willow," the doctor continued, flipping open her file to find the results sheet, "I think I would see pigs fly before I get that secretary to digitise these results…ah yes, here. Your pap was normal, but your HPV test has come back positive for the same strain Tara has."

Tara covered her eyes with her hand and Willow immediately put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault, baby," she reassured; not too cut up about the news, both because of the research she'd done to tell her it wasn't disastrous and knowing already there was a fairly high chance it had been transmitted, "So what does that mean?"

"Nothing serious right now," the doctor replied easily, "It's very likely your body will completely suppress it, most women under 30 do. I wouldn't have even recommended a test for you at all until then but of course it was your choice."

Willow patted the back of Tara's shoulder.

"See, baby? It's all fine."

"Can I pass it to her again if it goes?" Tara asked, tone clipped.

The doctor shook her head.

"You can't re-infect her with the same strain. For some women the infection can get reignited, for a lot more it stays dormant forever. But you should both get regular pap smears, for good health practices."

"What about Tara?" Willow asked, working to keep the worry out of her voice, "It looks like she's had it for 15 years. Could her body still suppress it?"

The doctor looked up slowly, a surprised look on her face.

"You were infected while you were a child?"

Tara hated that look; she could never tell if it was judgement or pity. It wasn't unlike some of the doctors and nurses who had ignored the signs of her abuse when she was brought to the hospital in her younger years.

Willow could see Tara was becoming guarded, so answered for her.

"We think so. We did some research and an urologist she saw as a child was struck off for not sterilising equipment and infecting a bunch of women with different diseases."

The doctor's eyebrows rose into her head and Willow eyes narrowed too.

She hadn't targeted anyone or done anything dangerous, as she promised Tara, but she had found every bit of information about him she could and posted it to every relevant forum she could find in case anyone else ended up in the same situation as they had.

"Don't get me started. No nurse would work with him because of sexual harassment and other doctors hated him. He kept moving around from hospital to hospital, who knows how many lives he ruined."

The doctor seemed genuinely baffled.

"Infection through fomites is almost unheard of, but possible in theory. But at that age…" she started, then composed herself and straightened up professionally, "Have you been tested for other possibly passed infections? I don't see those results here."

Tara nodded, guarding her eyes again so they only met the floor.

"Yes, everything else was negative."

The doctor seemed genuinely relieved.

"Good," she said, shaking her head slightly as she imagined a young girl being treated so carelessly, "Well, Tara, it's possible you have supressed the infection before and it's just showing up again. I would advise continued regular pap smears if you want to be cautious. That you haven't been symptomatic is very positive and very common. So many people have this virus and never know it. There is no reason to be panicked. The strain you have is not one of the high risk categories. It is possible in future testing you won't be detectable at all. Keep good health, don't smoke, avoid multiple partners–"

"Hey!" Willow interjected indignantly.

Tara reached over and took Willow's hand.

"She's just advising, not making a judgement on our relationship."

The doctor nodded slowly and then continued.

"Keep getting checked and avoid multiple full-term pregnancies. Those are the main risk factors. "

"It won't affect my fertility?" Tara asked, the worry evident in her voice.

"The HPV will not cause fertility issues," the doctor confirmed, "You had no abnormal hormone levels in your blood to cause alarm. You've never been diagnosed with PID – Pelvic Inflammatory Disease – or had any issues since your infections as a child, correct?"

Tara nodded.

"For your peace of mind, I can perform an ultrasound to make sure nothing has done any damage to your reproductive organs," the doctor offered, "I can list it as a follow-up and your insurance should cover it."

"I would really appreciate that," Tara replied gratefully, "I've been almost more worried about that than the cancer. I know that sounds stupid."

"It's not stupid, baby," Willow comforted.

The doctor regarded them kindly and stood.

"Let's get this done for you. Good thing you booked a double appointment. Where are you in your cycle?"

"I'm due next week," Tara answered.

"Good," the doctor nodded, "If you'd like to get into a gown and step up onto the table, I'll be back with the machine."

She left and Tara went over to the table where she'd had her pap smear, taking the gown that was sitting on the end and changing into it.

"Want me to wait outside?" Willow asked.

Tara looked over.

"Only if you want to."

Willow just smiled, brought her chair over and helped Tara tie the gown closed. Tara laid up on the table and put the blanket over her legs. She exhaled a soft breath and Willow took her hand for support.

The doctor wheeled in the portable ultrasound machine and came over to Tara's other side.

"Little bit cold," she advised as she squirted some of the jelly onto Tara's stomach.

Tara tried not to hold her breath as the doctor moved the probe around and took pictures.

Willow was quite fascinated watching Tara's organs on the screen and hoped they'd be in this position again, a few years down the line, and in different circumstances.

Finally the doctor shut off the machine, tucked the probe away and wiped the excess jelly from Tara's stomach.

"Everything looks as it should be. I see no reason as to why you would need further fertility testing at this time."

Tara blinked in relief.

"So everything is okay?"

"Yes," the doctor replied assuredly, "With this and everything else. Remember, the 'inconclusive' test result is nothing to worry about – often it's a case of collection or technician error. I repeat that the test was _not_ abnormal and your follow up was _completely_ normal. You are perfectly healthy and you are not at any heightened risk of cancer or infertility."

Both Willow and Tara huffed out a breath at the same time and immediately turned to embrace each other. The doctor smiled and gave them a moment.

"Do you have any questions?"

Tara shook her head and turned to wipe a tear from her eye.

"No, I don't think so, doctor," Willow answered for them, rubbing Tara's back gently.

The doctor nodded once.

"Call the practice if you do. I can't stress highly enough how little reason there is for alarm about the HPV. That's not to say you shouldn't keep up regular checks, but so should every woman."

Willow reached forward and shook the doctor's hand warmly.

"Thank you so much."

The doctor stood to give Tara some privacy to change.

"And for what it's worth, I would sue the hell out of that doctor," she said before closing the door behind them.

Tara changed quickly, clearly relieved but also deflated from the whole experience.

There was a little extra paperwork to deal with because of the ultrasound and Willow hung back while Tara scribbled it out. Finally Tara just nodded that they were done, and Willow was glad because she knew they could both use the peace and quiet of their home to just sit and take everything in.

Willow took Tara's hand and they walked in silence back to their building. When they got inside, Tara dropped to sit on the couch and Willow fell in beside her. They both remained there, staring straight ahead.

Eventually Tara blinked.

"If we have daughters, we're getting them the vaccine."

Willow agreed with a nod.

"One thousand percent. And they say boys should get it now too."

Tara rested her elbows on her knees and held her face in her hands.

"Willow, I'm…I'm so sorry."

Willow put an arm around Tara's shoulders.

"You heard what she said. We could become undetectable. And I've done _so_ much research, baby. Cervical cancer is so rare. We don't have a high risk strain and we'll keep up pap smears. I think I can get one cheaper in Planned Parenthood if I don't have proper insurance next time it comes up so you don't have to work your butt off like you've been doing."

She squeezed Tara's shoulder and leaned in to press a kiss onto her cheek.

"We'll be okay," she repeated for the thousandth time but with the same sincerity.

Tara appreciated the comfort and leaned her head in on Willow's shoulder.

"It's still all just such a shock. I'm so happy I can still have children but then I remember I also have HPV."

Willow stroked Tara's hair, but the expression on her face was seething.

"If I could strangle that doctor, I would. My only comfort is knowing he died a horribly painful death from pancreatic cancer."

"Willow, don't say that," Tara begged, tone pained, "Please, it hurts me to hear you be so cruel."

Willow dropped the rage, but not the topic.

"She was right, you know. You should sue."

"He's dead," Tara replied tiredly.

"Sue the hospital," Willow countered.

Tara lifted her head away.

"We can't afford a lawyer."

Willow tugged on the end of Tara's shirt.

"We can get one of those no win no fee people."

Tara stood up, holding her hands out in front of her with frustration.

"Willow, do you know what their very first line of defence is going to be, if what you read was true?" she asked, tone rising a bit, "We told her father. And do you know what they're going to do? Get him involved. I do not want any contact with him. I don't want him to know where I live. I won't take the risk. This is not a discussion."

Willow hadn't allowed for that and realised Tara was completely right.

"Okay, Tara," she agreed, standing up too and taking both of her hands, "I'm sorry. Just… between the two of them… your father and that doctor… I'd like to… just generally be very, very mean."

Tara hated all the frustrations and tensions the past few days had held and now that the immediate worry had been quelled, she wanted to physically push the rest away.

"Let's go for a run," she suggested out of the blue.

"Go for a run?" Willow asked, perplexed.

"A jog maybe," Tara corrected, unsurely.

One of Willow's eyebrows arched.

"Have you ever jogged? I haven't even in months."

Tara shrugged one shoulder.

"First time for everything."

Willow had no idea what was happening, but she would've scaled a volcano if it distracted them and stopped the pressure of blame she could practically see weighing Tara down.

"Okay, baby, sure. If you want to."

"I do," Tara answered, needing to get out of the apartment.

They both got changed, Willow into shorts and t-shirt and Tara into a tank top and sweat pants, as well as a sports bra on Willow's suggestion.

"Where did you run?" Tara asked as they walked out of their building.

"Did a circle of the neighbourhood," Willow replied as she bent her knee and rocked forward, "You gotta stretch or there will be pain, as you witnessed after my first gym foray."

Tara copied Willow's motions and realised the important of the sports bra when they jogged for a minute on the spot, to warm up. They started to pound the path slowly and though Tara was in slightly better shape than Willow, she was a walker and neither of them had been subject to that kind of exertion in a while.

They'd drained their water bottles halfway around the neighbourhood but Tara really pushed them and wouldn't let them stop even when Willow was practically tripping over herself, her muscles having completely forgotten her previous ventures into exercise.

Willow remembered an outdoor drinking fountain when they were nearly home and she gasped out the words to get them to take the detour. They both filled up and walked the last block home, collapsing on the stairs leading up to their building when they got there and glugging it down.

Willow squirted some straight onto her red face and realised she was so exhausted there was no room to feel or worry about much else.

She understood why Tara suggested the run and reached out weakly.

"If we… can get through… that run…" she panted, smiling with a sweaty brow, "We can get through anything… together."

Tara was slightly more composed, but her heart was hammering and trying to recover still. She wiped the water bottle over her forehead and scooted in closer to Willow.

"I don't want anyone to know."

"I won't tell," Willow promised, "Nothing to tell, really."

Their warm hands clasped, sweaty palms brushing off each other but neither pulled away.

"Thank you," Tara said, leaning head down to rest on Willow's shoulder, "For being so kind and understanding and supportive."

Willow let out a big sigh, her lungs finally ceasing to burn as they took in oxygen.

"Tara, I reflect onto you what you give unto me," she replied, hand stroking Tara's hair gently, "Am I your forever girl?"

Tara kissed Willow's cheek, the sun's warming rays beaming down on them and bathing them in light.

"Forever and always."

* * *

Willow padded across the bedroom with freshly brushed teeth and slipped under the light summer sheet they had on their bed.

It was the first night in a while that she went to bed physically exhausted from their run instead of emotionally exhausted from everything else going on.

"Rollercoaster few days, huh?"

Tara had her hands pressed together above the sheet and still seemed a little tense.

"Very."

Willow scooted closer and gently pulled a strand of Tara's hand affectionately.

"At least now it's all over."

"It's still in our systems," Tara replied, eyes falling downwards towards her fidgeting hands.

"So is chicken pox. Who cares?" Willow replied with an easy smile that she tried to permeate Tara with, but not too much success, "What is it? Are you worried? Because you heard what the doctor said–"

"It's not a health worry," Tara said, then audibly swallowed, "I guess I feel… diseased… and disgusting. Especially for giving it to you."

Willow brushed her fingers against Tara's cheek and coaxed her head towards her.

"Tara…" she said softly, "Is this because we haven't…? Because the only reason I haven't tried anything is you've been so upset and we couldn't in the days leading up to the tests. And you were working all weekend to get the overtime to pay for my tests."

She slid her palm down to Tara's collarbone.

"Nothing about you is…disgusting. You're the opposite of disgusting."

She leaned in and pressed her lips softly to Tara's. She lingered and pulled away, but only the smallest amount, leaving their lips still touching. Her fingers fell down Tara's arm and her palm curved around Tara's hip.

"C'mere."

She rolled half on top of Tara, kissing her again and slipping her hand under Tara's shirt. Her fingers crept up Tara's abdomen and cupped her breast.

A soft whimper of need passed Tara's lips and her body arched into Willow's touch. Her eyes flickered open and met Willow's. She could see the lust mirroring her own.

Willow squeezed Tara's breast and rolled the nipple against her palm. Tara's neck bent back against the pillow, baring her throat in the process.

Willow pressed a messy kiss against the strained throat and licked up to Tara's chin.

Tara was convinced Willow wasn't ascribing to the self-doubt she'd been plaguing herself with and couldn't hold back her need any longer. She grabbed Willow's cheeks with both hands and crushed their mouths together. She sat up, taking Willow with her, and crossed her arms in front to whip off her own pyjama top.

Willow's hand was still on Tara's breast, pinching her hardening nipple into a coarse peak. Her other hand slipped into the back of Tara's pants and squeezed the soft flesh of her buttocks, pulling her close so their hips bumped together and making a shared jolt of desire hit between both of their legs.

Tara couldn't bear to break the kiss, so pulled the straps of Willow's tank off her arms down so the fabric fell around her waist. She leaned over Willow so she fell back the other way, head at the foot of the bead and kissed down to her chest. Her hands pulled at all the clothing at Willow's hips, over her knees and off so her legs were exposed and she was finally fully nude.

Tara eyed Willow hungry, palming her thighs and brushing her fingertips against the arousal trickling from her girlfriend.

Willow scooted down so she could lock her legs around Tara's hip. She nudged Tara's butt with her knee so Tara would fall on top of her and was about to twist and roll them over, but instead jerked and screamed.

"Ahh!"

Tara sprang back up, worried her body weight had crushed Willow.

"What, what is it?"

Willow hugged one knee up to her chest, trying to alleviate the cramp.

"I don't think we stretched enough."

Tara took Willow's leg and put the ankle over her shoulder. She leaned inwards, bringing it with her to stretch.

Willow appreciated the soothing of her cramp, and appreciated the back and forth motion of Tara's body even more.

"That feels goooood," she said, eyelids growing heavy with desire, "In a lot of ways."

Tara massaged the tightened muscles delicately, all the while her eyes never leaving Willow's. They were drawn to each other like magnets, and it wasn't long before Willow's leg was falling back to the bed and Tara was climbing back over Willow with a predatory look in her eye.

Willow loved that look and curved her hands around the back of Tara's neck to pull her close to kiss. Their stomachs brushed, then their breasts pressed together and Willow yanked Tara's pyjama bottoms over her butt.

Tara reached back and pulled them down past her thighs, then laid back at the head of the bed and bent her knees up to jerk them off completely. Willow crawled over on her knees and made the final tug past Tara's ankles. Her hands slid up Tara's thighs, up her stomach and straight past her chest where a palm laid flat above each of Tara's shoulders.

Her body just skimmed Tara's, touching her teasingly. She nipped at Tara's neck and throat, then kissed her again and began to really grind into her girlfriend.

Tara cupped Willow's rear and writhed beneath her, really starting to feel the burn in her belly. Her legs spread under Willow and her hips thrust upwards in a silent beg.

Willow ran her hand along Tara's thigh and teased her until she was panting with need. Her fingers slipped inside Tara's wetness to a long groan, which hit Willow with a pang between her legs.

She kept her fingers still until she got Tara's, albeit frustrated, attention.

Tara thought the mischievous grin on Willow's face was as a result of her enjoying torturing her, but then Willow caught her hand and slowly dragged her lips along her girlfriend's index and middle fingers.

Tara's skin could have melted into the sheets such was the surge of heat she felt coarse through her. She popped her fingers out of Willow's mouth, rolled her over onto her back and entered her with those dampened fingers.

Their bodies began to rock together immediately, both seeking each other deeply with the thrusts of their wrists and hips.

Tara's head was buried in Willow's neck, where her moans were just close enough to Willow's ear to be heard. Willow's teeth indented her bottom lip as that quake of release started to shake through her.

Tara's hips sped up when she felt Willow's thighs trembling on hers and they managed to climax within seconds of each other.

Tara left a gentle bite on Willow's shoulder and rolled off her, the sheet falling half off her chest in the process. Willow appreciated the one-boob view, so didn't try to fix her up, but did press a kiss against her girlfriend's cheek.

"You're beautiful and I never thought any different for a second."

Tara smiled lovingly at Willow and returned the cheek kiss. She lifted the sheet over her chest properly and turned on her side so she could curl into Willow. Willow put an arm around Tara's shoulders and picked her phone up to do her pre-sleep browse. She noticed she had an email a couple of hours old.

"Hey, look, I got an interview later this week at McDonalds."

"McDonalds?" Tara questioned dubiously.

"It's a 'management trainee' job," Willow explained unenthusiastically, "But I would probably flip burgers at this stage considering it's pretty much the only interview I've even gotten. Most of them don't even acknowledge the application."

Tara reached up and brushed the backs of her fingers against Willow's cheek.

"Willow-pillow," she said sympathetically, "And there's nothing wrong with flipping burgers or any other kind of work. You like Big Macs, how would you like it if no one was there to make it?"

Willow smiled softly, left her phone back on the nightstand to charge and scooted down so their heads were in the same position.

"I know, you're right. And then you call me Willow-pillow and my world is all okay again."

Tara took her hand back and put her arm around Willow's waist.

"Have faith."

"I'll try," Willow replied, unconvinced but truthfully.

"I love you," Tara said tenderly.

Willow let out a contented sigh.

"And that's something I can believe in."


	24. Chapter 24

**sara** – It is very, very, very good – for them both! :)

* * *

Tara stood in the break room in her office, waiting for new coffee to brew.

She was normally a two-mug-a-day person; one with lunch and one as an afternoon pick-me-up when it came to coffee, but that morning she was already on her third full, steaming cup. An early night with Willow turned to anything but, as they made up for the lost time during the health scare.

Those wrought feelings of anxiety that had plagued her so deeply during that time had finally ceased, but Tara was still shaken up by it. It had taken a few days to have a full night's sleep and she kept apologising to Willow for a week. Eventually Willow quit telling her to stop and just shut her up with a kiss instead, and had been extra attentive since.

Tara appreciated it - and could barely resist her girlfriend anyway. Having extra coffee to make up for lost sleep was more than worth it.

Finally the light on the old coffee pot flicked green and Tara poured her mug full of the strong stuff. She filled it almost right to the top, leaving just enough room to add some creamer. She stirred it in, waited for the little whirlpool to settle and leaned back against the counter to sip down the perfectly hot and slightly sweet liquid.

As it slid down her throat, someone rapped on the door and Tara jumped in surprise. Alice's head popped around.

"Tara, assignment meeting."

Tara quickly pushed herself off the counter, almost spilling her coffee in the process. She was totally embarrassed for forgetting the meeting and needing someone to come out and find her. She rushed out to grab her notebook and run to the meeting, but was relieved to see people were still milling into the conference room and she hadn't held it up.

She took a seat amongst the others on her team at the round table, while Alice sat at the head of the table with a stack of files. Tara flicked her notebook to her new week, scribbled in the date and took the few moments, while everyone gathered, to take another generous gulp of coffee.

"Is everyone here?" Alice asked, and had a quick look around the table to make sure, "Great, let's get going."

Tara had her pen ready to take notes as Alice ran through and dictated the week's assignments.

Even though Tara had been working there a year, she was just starting to get her own cases instead of ones she assisted on. There wasn't much difference in the work, apart from signing off a few more papers, but she liked gaining more responsibility.

"Tara," Alice said after a while, making Tara look up, "We need a sign language interpreter at Haven Street for a meeting with a foster family and one of the residents. He's hard of hearing but the prospective parents are fully deaf. Can you facilitate that?"

Tara nodded, then got a small case file pushed across to her.

"While you're there. 15 year old female removed from the home last night following allegations of physical and sexual abuse by her step-father, made by a family friend. She was moved there this morning after being in an emergency foster care last night. She's staying there while the investigation is ongoing. I need you to go see her and do a full assessment and draw up the report please. I'll meet with you again when we know what our next step is going to be. Okay, everyone. That's it."

The co-workers disbanded and Tara quickly skimmed what was in the file as she approached Alice.

"Was she brought to the hospital?"

Alice nodded.

"She was treated for minor injuries on her face and arms but refused a rape kit. She was traumatised, so I advised not to use force."

"I don't blame her," Tara replied, tense at the thoughts of what the young girl had gone through, "I wouldn't want anyone else touching me if my father did that to me either. How certain are we?"

"You know we have to go through all the official protocols first," Alice advised professionally, "But the family friend witnessed him in her bed and staining on her sheets is being tested for DNA. If you can get her to speak in lieu of the examination, it would be very helpful."

Tara held the case file close to her chest and reigned in her personal feelings.

"What time do I need to be there?"

"Meeting is 3pm, so be there for 2:30 in case the staff or young person wants to discuss anything," Alice replied, "You'll need to sign out the staff car since you don't have your own."

"Right, okay," Tara replied, only slightly nervously.

She hadn't needed to drive in a few years, being able to get around the city on public transport or taxis to get to her meetings, or tagging along with whomever else was going. However, that particular state home was out in the suburbs and their taxi allowances only covered the city.

Alice misread the look.

"I know, it's not exactly high end, but it will get you there."

Tara just smiled.

"Hey, it beats the bus."

Alice laughed and Tara ducked her head and went back to her desk to organise her paperwork for the afternoon. She signed out the car early, during her lunch hour, to practice a little and give herself extra time to get to her destination.

The car was an old and rusting, but a still held together 3-door hatchback that looked like it had probably been built when Reagan was still president. The door was creaky as she opened it some of the red paint flaked off under Tara's fingers.

Tara sat into the car, and the interior was surprisingly well kept. There were no gouges or rips, it was comfortable and very clean. She knew it wasn't used that often, which was probably the only reason it had lasted as long as it did.

She adjusted her seat and found herself fixing and checking the mirrors like she was right back in Driver's Ed. She familiarised herself with the footing and started the ignition, which revved up without issue.

She indicated onto the street and felt at ease behind the wheel. She smiled at herself, pleased.

When she reached the next stoplight, she took out her phone and dialled a number, leaving it on the passenger seat on speaker.

"Hey."

* * *

Willow sat in the very small, hot hallway, regretting her choice of stuffy outfit, chosen in a bid to look professional.

The heat from the McDonald's kitchen filled all the available air and Willow was quite obviously sweating.

Across from her, the door to the manager's office was half open and if she moved her seat a few inches she could peer in. There was a man and a woman in there, and Willow knew the guy was the manager interviewing her by the placard on the door. She noticed their wedding rings and that he and the woman were having a terse, jaded conversation. Willow was picking up on all kinds of body language.

It was one of the things she really did love about psychology; reading people and deducing them from there. She fancied herself a bit of a female Sherlock Holmes at times.

The woman grabbed the man's shoulders and looked at him intently, but he just looked through her and nodded dumbly. Willow felt suddenly pained and like she was watching her parents. It hit a little close to home and disconcerted her.

The woman left without looking at Willow, who was then motioned in and the door shut behind her, making the heat even more unbearable than before. Willow took the seat opposite the manager, who didn't greet her or introduce himself at all.

"So…who is…" the manager started, flipping through Willow's résumé immediately, "Willow Rosenberg?"

Willow sat herself up straight.

"Well, I'm a 23 year old college graduate who's looking to expand her horizons and learn with a team," Willow rattled off, having written the same blurb on cover letters at least 100 times.

"Why McDonald's?" the manager questioned, as if he was asking someone to pass the salt.

Willow was put at unease by the tedium but answered diligently.

"I'm looking to learn new skills and I know you have a good training process."

The manager continued with lots of standard interview questions, which Willow had plenty of stock answers for. Neither of them were exactly excited and the room ended up just being filled with mundane monotones.

Eventually the manger left stopped rustling the papers.

"And finally, why did you leave your last job?"

"It… wasn't what I was looking for," Willow answered, somewhat cagily.

The manager just nodded, not seeming too bothered.

"Well I think that's us done for today."

Willow was surprised it was over so quick, but stood and shook his hand.

"Thank you for your time."

The manager stood and walked her to the door.

"I'll give you a call, but I will say I think that you're overqualified for this position."

Willow stalled in the hallway, not expecting the brush off so soon, especially when he'd given such a half-assed interview.

"Over…overqualified?" she asked.

The manager nodded.

"Your qualifications exceed the type of employee we normally employ here."

Willow could feel that oppressive heat pushing down and down and down on her until it finally snapped.

"What, just because you're clearly stuck in a loveless marriage and don't have any higher aspirations that working in a fast food joint doesn't mean you should be threatened because I have a degree."

The slight buzz in the air suddenly became an echo and Willow glanced down the small hallway to see the kitchen staff all staring at her, including the wife, who Willow also noticed was likely mid-flirt with the fry-cook.

Willow shot her a dirty look.

"I bet he's hoping if he becomes a hollow, shell of a man that you'll just leave him and he'll finally have some peace."

The manager shot daggers from the doorway.

"Don't wait on our call."

He slammed it, and Willow winced, then had to make an uncomfortable exit through the store with her head down.

She hurried home and tore out of the uncomfortable pant suit to redress in sweats and a t-shirt. She sat in front of the fan with a tub of ice cream and sniffled to herself about her failure of a morning.

She was lying on the couch watching SpongeBob on Nickelodeon and considering the laziest way to make lunch when her phone rang. It was all the way on the coffee table but she managed to stretch without having to get up and was pleased for her efforts when she saw it was Tara calling.

"Hey…now there's a voice I needed to hear…" she said with a smile, then sighed, "No, it went lousy."

* * *

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry," Tara soothed, "Let's meet for lunch to cheer you up. I'm going to a meeting so I have the state car. I can take you to that place just outside the city you love with the patio dining. Yes, really. Okay, I'll collect you in 10. Bye, love you."

Tara tapped the phone to end the call, then concentrated back on the road and turned off into their neighbourhood. She pulled up at the building a few minutes later, where Willow was already waiting. She rolled down the window and peered over her sunglasses.

"Hey good lookin'."

Willow grinned and pushed herself off the wall. She got into the passenger side and kissed Tara's cheek.

"Well this thing is a piece of junk but the broad inside sure isn't!"

"Hi sweetie," Tara greeted, "Hot out today, huh?"

"Don't get me started," Willow replied, rolling her eyes to herself.

Tara pulled off the curb again and drove them to the little out-of-the-way restaurant they'd discovered on a long Saturday walk one weekend.

"Can we afford this?" Willow asked as she stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk.

Tara locked the car and pocketed the keys.

"When was the last time we ate out anywhere apart from the bar?"

Willow grinned back at Tara.

"Last night."

Tara blushed and brushed her hand against Willow's.

"Behave."

They nabbed the last table outside, under the shade of an awning but still with the warmth of the summer sun on their faces. Tara put her sunglasses onto her head and Willow smiled seeing her eyes.

"Well, thanks for bringing me out. I could use a treat."

The menus were already on table, held up between salt and pepper shakers. Tara glanced at one, but Willow was ready to order when the waiter came out to them.

"Pork belly BLT with kettle chips. Thanks."

Tara gave one last scan and put the menu back in its place.

"I'll have the prosciutto and mozzarella panini with side salad, please. And an iced tea."

"Just bring us a pitcher, thanks," Willow added.

He left and returned in under a minute with a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses of ice. Willow poured them both a tall glass, which they both took a generous gulp of.

Tara wiped her mouth with her napkin, settled it over her lap and reached across the table for Willow's hand.

"Tell me, my love. What happened?"

Willow relaxed a little under Tara's affectionate touch and told her the story of how the interview went. Tara kept holding Willow's hand but her face did furrow with concern as it went on and finished with Willow's outburst.

"Willow, why would you say that?"

"Well if he's going to dismiss me for having a degree in psychology than he better expect to have some psychology laid down on him!" Willow retorted, folding her hands over her chest.

Tara took Willow's hand back and put it against her cheek, nuzzling into it.

"Willow, do you want to be an assistant manager or cook at McDonald's?"

"It's not about 'want'," Willow dismissed.

"Yes, it is," Tara replied insistently, "This whole idea behind you trying out different avenues is about 'want'. Figuring out what you're passionate about."

Willow's eyes were downcast but Tara sought them out.

"And you do need to reign in that temper a little bit. It's gotten you in trouble before."

Willow didn't object so Tara went the whole hog.

"Also, that psyching stuff. No one likes it. It makes me mad and not much makes me mad. People don't like being preached at about themselves."

Willow lifted her gaze.

"Do you think I'm arrogant?"

Tara gauged her answer carefully.

"…when you believe you're more knowledgeable on a subject than someone else…you can…come across that way."

Willow nodded glumly.

"Thanks for the diplomacy, but I get it. I'll remember that."

She thought about it all for a moment, then suddenly looked like she'd been slapped in the face.

"I behaved like my mom," she said in an echoing tone, barely believing it herself, "Wow, I behaved like my mom. Shit."

Tara played with Willow's fingers softly.

"What you said was mean. But you had a bad moment, and it doesn't make you a bad person. Learn from it."

"I will," Willow vowed sincerely.

Tara lifted her hand and tickled Willow's cheek.

"You're also simply lovely and anyone would be lucky to employ you."

Willow smiled and leaned into Tara's touch.

"Thanks for not bullshitting me."

Tara winked at Willow and took her hand back just as the food arrived. Their conversation turned more light-hearted into weekend plans and some TV talk.

"Do you want me to get the bus home?" Willow asked as Tara paid the check and calculated the tip.

Tara shook her head.

"No I'm going the opposite side of town anyway. Our place is on the way."

Willow smiled.

"'Our place' still makes me happy."

Tara offered her arm for the few steps to the car.

"You do that for me all on your own."

Tara drove Willow back to the building and pulled up on the curb. Willow undid her seatbelt but stayed in the car.

"Want tacos for dinner?"

"Sounds good," Tara agreed, meeting Willow in the middle for a kiss, "See you later."

"Bye," Willow replied, pecking Tara again, then jumping out and heading into the building and back to the refuge of cool air.

Tara got a tiny bit lost when out of the city and through the suburbs, having never paid too much attention as a passenger. Eventually she identified the right street and parked outside with 10 minutes to spare before the scheduled meeting.

She knocked on the door and was greeted by one of the regular care workers in the home, a gentle giant named Matt.

"Hey Tara," he greeted with his shy, unassuming smile, "Didn't know you were coming today."

"Hi Matt," Tara returned, "I'm here to be a sign language interpreter and to talk to Abigail."

Matt nodded and stood aside to let her in.

"She didn't go to out with the other kids today, so she's upstairs in her room."

"I don't want to rush her when we speak," Tara replied, shuffling her purse on her shoulder, "Is it okay to speak to her after this meeting?"

"Sure, come this way," Matt replied easily, "I didn't know you spoke sign language."

"Well, I can keep up," Tara replied modestly, "Can you give me the background? I know his case, but not the interaction with the family so far."

Matt briefed Tara quickly until the house minibus pulled up and most of the inhabitants of the home burst in from their summer activity. It turned to chaos quickly and Matt moved Tara into the private meeting room to wait.

He brought the kid in a few minutes later, with the prospective family and Tara aided introductions all around. It was a fairly standard meeting, first to observe interaction between the child and family and then to have a discussion with the parents separately, where Tara found she'd also assumed the role of lead social worker and not just interpreter.

She was a little peeved she hadn't been told so she could familiarise herself better, but had heard the case debriefing in the meeting that morning so there wasn't much disruption.

She had to scribble notes on a legal pad, ones that would probably be given a roll-eyes by the actual case worker for their legibility but Tara didn't care too much considering she'd done them a favour; one that had been treated as an expectation.

She decided not to give official approval despite everything checking out lest she cause an inter-office incident with the other social worker, but told the parents they'd be in touch soon.

Matt could see Tara's frustration and kindly offered her a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," Tara said gratefully as she took the mug and a long sip, not even caring that her caffeine intake for the day was astronomical, "I'm sorry, I thought his usual case worker would be here. I guess I should've been tipped off when we didn't drive in together. The communication in that office can be abysmal."

"I remember," Matt replied with a knowing smile.

"I didn't know you were in the department," Tara replied, surprised, "When did you switch to care work?"

"About five years ago," Matt said, "I felt like I could help more kids this way."

Tara nodded.

"I get that."

She finished off her coffee and felt a little calmer.

"Can I…?" she asked, motioning upstairs.

Matt nodded.

"Room six."

Tara dodged fighting kids to get upstairs and walk down the hallway to room six. The door was slightly ajar, and Tara peered in and knocked.

The girl inside, a petite, black-haired girl with sullen eyes and nervously bitten, half-chipped nails was sitting on a bed with a sketchpad. She looked up timidly and Tara offered a non-threatening smile.

"Are you Abigail?"

She nodded and Tara ventured a step inside.

"I'm Tara."

Abigail covered up her sketchbook and Tara moved inside but stayed at a distance.

"Are you a social worker?" Abigail asked, eyes downcast.

Tara nodded.

"Yes. But I'm a special kind of social worker. I'm your advocate, which means it's my job to make sure you're heard and listened to. I'm just here for you, no one else."

Abigail looked up at her and seemed a little more receptive. Tara nodded to her sketchpad.

"Do you draw? I used to draw a lot, but I haven't had much time lately."

Abigail looked at her drawing, then up and nodded. Tara came and sat near her on the bed and looked at her picture. It was the view from the window and really quite pretty.

"You're talented."

Abigail blushed and shrugged one shoulder, full of teenage awkwardness in spite of all the turmoil that had brought her to that place. Tara left her writing tools in her bag, not wanting to intimidate her. She'd write up her notes from memory later.

"Do you know why you were brought here?"

Abigail nodded silently.

"How do you feel about that?" Tara asked.

She got nothing.

"Can you tell me what happened last night?" she prompted.

Abigail shook her head.

"How come?" Tara asked softly, "Are you scared? Because I promise that you're safe."

"Where's my mom?" Abigail's shaken voice finally squeezed out.

"As far as I'm aware she's still under police questioning," Tara answered honestly.

"Does she know where I am?" Abigail asked, voice completely quivering with fear.

"Not until she's released," Tara reassured, "Do you not want her to know where you are?"

Abigail shook her head vigorously.

"Can you tell me why?" Tara asked gently.

Abigail looked out the window. It seemed to have a calming effect on her.

"She…she said if anyone ever found out…"

Tara let her have a moment before continuing.

"Found out what?"

Abigail glanced at Tara and was met with her reassuring eyes; the look that endeared a lot of people to her and that trusting gaze that made more than one child come to her for help.

It often took a lot of time, but in that moment Tara had something extra; that shared pain of your familial support system being broken down and abused. The solidarity was anguished and one no one should ever share, but they did and their rhythms opened up to each other. Once that happened, Abigail seemed to crumble and everything came rushing out.

Her stepfather's abuse since she was 12; telling her mother and not being believed; her mother catching him walking out of her bedroom pulling his pants up and threatening her to stay quiet; the pain; the tears; the solitude and utter torment.

With distress and sorrow she showed Tara self-harm scars that had been her hidden shame.

She bawled and Tara hugged her, the first positive affection she'd had in a long time.

Tara ended up staying there for hours with her, but she didn't mind. If Abigail had said nothing there might have been little choice but to send her back to her mother. With this information, Tara could fight; and as quiet and easy-going as Tara was, fighting for her kids was where she excelled.

"The police are going to come to ask you about the same thing, probably tomorrow," she explained when everything calmed down again, "Would you like me to be here?"

Abigail nodded jerkily and Tara offered her another hug.

"I promise we won't let people harm you again," she said emphatically, then got her card from her purse and scribbled on the back, "This is my private cell. Call me anytime you need me."

Abigail looked at it, then Tara gratefully and hid it away in the nightstand drawer. Tara put an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, let's get you something to eat."

Tara brought her downstairs to eat something and mingle with some of the other kids while she reported the harm risks to Matt so Abigail would be monitored correctly. She said goodbye to her and promised to be back the next day. Abigail hugged her hard, thanked her, then shuffled back off to dinner, embarrassed.

Tara left the house with a heavy heart and a headache.


	25. Chapter 25

**sara** – Tara is excellent with children. It's a gift and a vocation.

 **jaiden83** – I've never written Tara in a job that fits more than this one – even though it's tough to imagine these kids in these situations, it's so easy for Tara to fall into that emphatic role.

* * *

Tara let herself into the apartment and her nose immediately picked up the sharp, salty smell in the air.

"Please tell me that delicious smelling thing is dinner."

"It sure is," Willow replied, smiling over from her place in front of the stove, "Long day?"

Tara dropped her bag onto a chair and hung up her light summer jacket.

"Just…taxing. Lots of kids with lots of pain and not much good in a while."

Willow looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, baby. Why don't you pick something good to watch and I'll bring dinner over - grilled cheese and what was going to be a bowl but can now be a mug of tomato soup. Perfect TV dinner. We got so many portions out of that soup you made last weekend. There's still more in the freezer."

"That sounds like just what I need," Tara replied as she sat into the couch and took her boots off, "Pure comfort food."

Willow delivered a perfectly toasted, warm grilled cheese sandwich on a plate with a large, steaming mug of rich tomato soup moments later. Tara set the mug on the arm of the couch and left the plate on her lap.

Willow went back to the kitchen and made up her own meal in the same way, then returned to sit by Tara, who was pulling the halves of her sandwich apart.

She smiled at Willow.

"I know you're unsure of your culinary technique sometimes, but you make the perfect grilled cheese. So oozy and stretchy."

"The cheese does most of the work, I can't take credit," Willow replied with a charming grin as she caught a drip of soup sliding down the side of her mug on her thumb and licked it from there, "Is this that spy show Chuck? I've seen commercials. It looks funny."

Tara had only turned the television on and hadn't done much channel hopping.

"I just put anything on really, but I'm happy to watch it."

Tara was up for anything she could mindlessly engage in, so settled back and dipped the corner of her sandwich in her soup.

A little over forty minutes later, there wasn't a crumb or screed of food left in their dishes and they were hooked on the show. Willow was particularly excited and turned to Tara enthusiastically.

"Want me to download us the whole season?"

"Can you do it in the time it would take for me to shower and get into pyjamas?" Tara asked, ready to change out of her work clothes now her stomach was full.

Willow's eyebrow quirked in a sarcastic 'are you serious?' look.

"You're talkin' to the Whiz."

Tara grinned, kissed Willow's cheek and made her way into the bathroom. Willow quickly washed the dishes so Tara wouldn't have to worry about them, then went over to connect the laptop to the TV and got the next episodes ready to stream.

Tara wasn't long returning in linen pyjama pants and a tank top to keep cool on the warm summer night.

"I'm going to make a cup of raspberry tea, do you want some?"

Willow shook her head.

"No, but I'll take a cookie if there's one going."

Tara made herself the tea and brought the pack of peanut butter cookies with her. They cuddled together closer this time; feet up and holding hands, along with the cookies, between them.

"Ready?" Willow asked, leaning over to press play.

Tara took a sip from her tea and nodded.

"Ready."

Together they devoured the entire pack of cookies and laughed their way through half the season. Neither noticed the sun going down or the hours ticking by.

Tara came back from a bathroom break and pointed to the clock on the wall.

"Willow, look at the time. We have to go to bed."

Willow looked at the clock, pondered it for a moment, then looked back at Tara.

"One more?"

Tara only thought about it for a moment before quickly sitting back down.

"One," she insisted.

Three episodes later, they dragged each other to bed with the quickest tooth brush known to man and a grazing goodnight kiss before heads hit the pillow.

Tara closed her eyes and immediately fell into an exhausted, deep sleep.

She didn't know yet just how much she'd need it. 

* * *

Tara was sleeping peacefully when the shrill buzzing of a cell phone woke her up.

With her eyes unopened, she started to berate Willow for it, when with a crack of her eye she saw it was coming from her nightstand. She grabbed at it, bleary-eyed, and couldn't make out the number, so just stuck it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked sleepily.

She listened for only moments before sitting up in bed, fully awake.

"Abby, Abby. Where are you?" she asked, throwing the covers off, "What's nearby? Is there a diner, or something that's open?"

She fell around the room, throwing clothes and shoes on.

"Okay, go in there and order something. I'll be right there. Don't leave that spot, Abby."

Tara fought the whopper headache that was pushing itself to the front of her head and grabbed two Tylenol from the bottle on her nightstand she'd been devouring over the past few days.

Willow's head lifted from the pillow, her hair going in all directions.

"Where are you going?" she asked groggily.

"To work," Tara replied, swallowing the pills and trying not to gag on the warm water.

Willow tugged Tara's pillow to her to hug.

"I didn't know you were on call."

"I'm not – it's an emergency," Tara explained, pulling a jacket on.

"Is everything okay?" Willow asked, sleepy but concerned.

Tara came over and kissed Willow's forehead.

"Go back to sleep."

Willow didn't need much convincing and cuddled back into the pillow and off to sleep.

Tara grabbed her wallet and went downstairs to hail a cab. She grew more agitated as it took longer to flag one down in the middle of the night, but eventually one came her way. She said the street name and sent Abigail a text that she was on her way.

Tara was sweating as she paid the cab driver, nervous to be on the street. It was a bad part of town and she wouldn't have walked Willow through it during the day, never mind imagining a teenager there alone in the middle of the night.

She spotted the all-night diner across the street and jogged over there quickly. Abigail was sitting in the far corner, nursing a milkshake and keeping her eyes on the floor.

"Abby," Tara said with relief upon seeing her unharmed, but saw the girl's eyes were filled with tears when she looked up, "Hey, hey. What happened? What are you doing out here?"

Abigail cried silently, used to keeping it quiet.

"I-I didn't know what to do, I-I didn't know who to call. He just took the money and ran, I…"

"Who?" Tara asked, but Abigail couldn't speak.

Tara consoled her for a few minutes until she was able to recover slightly.

"I have to get you back to the home."

"No!" Abby pleaded, "Please, no, no, not until…no…it was supposed to be gone, please…"

Tara soothed her again, then Abby went to the counter to grab more napkins to wipe her eyes with.

"I called the home so they know you're safe," Tara said when she returned, then added on quickly when she saw the look on Abigail's face, "I won't take you back 'til you're ready."

Abigail considered it, then nodded and sat back into the booth. Tara reached out and took her hand.

"Abby, what happened? What were you doing in this part of town at this time of night?"

Abigail wetted a new napkin with her eyes.

"He said I'd just bleed and cramp and it would be over. I thought it would just be over."

Tara tried to hide the anguish on her own face as she slowly realised what Abigail meant.

"Were you trying to buy abortion pills?"

Abigail's eyes filled again and she nodded. Tara held her hand between both of hers.

"Abby, is it…?"

Abigail sniffled and wiped the napkin under her nose.

"I never slept with anyone, not by choice."

Tara came around to the other side of the booth to hold her.

"You can't take something from the street. You have no idea what could be in it."

Abigail shook her head desperately.

"I can't have his…"

"There's a process. I'm going to go to a judge and get permission and we'll do this properly," Tara promised, "When did you find out you were pregnant?"

Abigail grimaced hearing the word.

"Yesterday. One of the older girls had tests in her room, I stole one. I didn't get my period last month…and I was late this month and…I knew this guy from school who can get anything…" she explained, looking like she might throw up, "Tara, I want to stab myself in the stomach thinking about it. I can't, I can't have it in me."

"I promise I'm going to help you," Tara replied emphatically, "I can't even imagine how difficult this is, but I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

Abigail looked at Tara vulnerably, then gave a very brave nod. Tara hugged her to her chest.

"Thank you for calling me. You did the right thing."

Tara spent the next few hours comforting and reassuring Abigail back to a place that she was willing to go back to the home.

They waited until all of the other kids had left for the day before returning and Abigail went straight up to lock herself in her room.

Tara followed her up and knocked.

"Abby. Abby, I'm sorry, but you have to keep your door open."

She waited and after a moment the door unlocked. Tara left it ajar and stayed on the other side to give Abigail her space, peeking in through the crack.

"I'm going to bring you to a doctor later and make sure you're okay. Promise me if you feel unsafe you'll talk to one of your carers or call me."

Abigail nodded. She could do that much considering how kind Tara was being. She sniffed.

"Promise."

Tara offered her pinky through the door and Abigail looked at it, then up at Tara. She linked pinkies and Tara thought for a moment Abigail looked relieved, and inferred hopefully that she maybe felt a little safer.

Tara had to fill in the group home team on events and get them to organise the appointment and to call her so she would be there on time. She got a taxi back to work and pocketed the receipt to try and claim back.

She was just about keeping herself standing, so pretty much inhaled a coffee and an apple in the breakroom before rushing out when she saw Alice arriving.

"I need to talk to you about Abby," she said, then off Alice's blank look, "Abigail Weston."

"Good morning to you too," Alice replied good naturedly as she set her purse down on her desk, "Right, Abigail Weston. Well she was officially removed from her parents' custody, they're both being brought on charges related to the abuse and neglect, as far as I know. We talked about this at the weekly meeting."

Tara tried not to appear as frustrated as she felt.

"She ran away from the group home last night to get abortifacients off the street."

Alice did a double-take.

"She's pregnant?" she asked in shock, "Wasn't she tested before now?"

"She was traumatised, she refused all medical testing," Tara explained, "We were giving her some time."

"Is she back in the home?" Alice asked.

Tara nodded.

"She took a test and I've arranged a doctor's appointment. I'm back here to file the motion for the judge to approve the termination as soon as the doctor gives his report."

Alice nodded, then shook her head.

"That poor girl. Well, I approve of your plan if that's what you were asking."

"It's not," Tara replied somewhat curtly, "I need to get her into a foster home."

Alice held her hands up.

"Well we're trying, of course and she has her room in the group home until then."

Tara was sleep deprived and struggling to contain exasperation at the whole situation.

"She is a teenager, she is a flight risk, a self-harmer, she is pregnant from her rapist stepfather and she needs some god damn one-on-one attention and counselling."

Alice physically took a step back, not used to seeing Tara so het up.

"I can see if there's any places available in the county psychiatric unit if she's that bad…"

Tara's eyes twitched.

"You want to shove her in a scary hospital with kids with serious issues? She needs to be in a family home with love and support."

"They all need that, Tara," Alice reasoned.

Tara's hands were shaking.

"You want to have a fourteen year old get an abortion from her rape and go back to a group home to recover? Are you crazy?"

Alice was genuinely taken aback by Tara's demeanour.

"I don't know what you want me to do, Tara."

"MORE!" Tara shouted, getting the attention of the entire office and shock from Alice who remained mute, "Then I'll find a way. I will find her somewhere."

Tara flounced back to her desk and poured every ounce of strength, time and capability she had into finding a better place for Abigail.

She spent hours making phone calls, researching the state's intranet and writing up report after report.

Finally 10 minutes before she had to leave for the appointment, she made a breakthrough. Near collapse from lack of food or even more than a few swigs from a day-old bottle of water on her desk, she started loading papers into her purse.

"Tara, where are you going?" Alice asked from across the cubicles.

Tara had autonomy in arranging and going to her meetings, so she knew she'd pissed Alice off enough into monitoring her, but had too much else to worry about right then.

"To bring Abigail to her doctor's appointment and then to her new foster home."

Alice's eyes showed her annoyance at Tara's attitude.

"Who's taking her?"

"Jane Quickendale," Tara answered quickly.

"She hasn't been a foster parent in five years," Alice replied coolly.

"She's still registered," Tara countered, "I read her file and she did well with teenager girls and girls with a history of self-harm. We spoke on the phone. She was considering putting her name forward again and I think a single female household will be good for Abby. She's agreed."

Alice stayed stoically silent as she decided how to deal with this, but eventually just looked away and shook her head.

"Do you have the approval papers?"

"They're on your desk," Tara replied shortly, putting the papers down.

She turned to leave but Alice called her back.

"Tara," she said, firmly but keeping respectfully quiet, "You do good work, but rein it in."

Tara, who quietly followed orders, who took on every task she was ever asked, and who never even dreamed of insubordination looked through Alice coldly.

"If you're asking me to stop fighting for my kids, then you're not the mentor I thought you were."

She grabbed her purse, put it over her shoulder, and left to head back to the group home.

She hoped it would be the last Abigail would see of it. 

* * *

Tara watched the new foster mother serve Abigail up a warm dinner with a warmer smile.

Abigail had been pleased to leave the loud and boisterous home, but nervous about where she was going. Tara had spent the car ride over reassuring her and when they'd gotten there, Jane, the foster mother had been waiting nervously too.

Jane was an experienced foster mother, however, and was able to play their mutual nervousness into bonding. She showed Abigail some photographs she'd taken in her previous life as a photographer and Abigail had expressed admiration at some of the locations and her desire to draw there.

Tara had hung around to make sure everything was okay and that Abigail would settle in okay, and was relieved to see she seemed to be. The other two laughed at something, a private joke that had already formed, and it made Tara push herself off the doorway she was standing in as she had started to fall asleep on the spot.

Jane noticed, patted Abigail on the shoulder and came over to Tara.

"Have we signed all the papers?"

Tara nodded tiredly.

"Yes," she said, understanding a hint to leave when she heard one, "Abby, will you be okay here tonight?"

Abigail looked over, looked between them, then nodded.

"Can I watch TV?"

"As long as you have good taste," Jane replied good-naturedly, making Abby smile.

She turned back to Tara and offered her the same shoulder pat.

"I'll take care of her."

Tara nodded; she trusted that that was true.

But it wouldn't stop her worrying.

There was still a lot more to do. 

* * *

Tara stood outside the court house, in shock after the hearing with the judge.

"A paternity test? She's fourteen years old. She's never had a boyfriend or had sex with anyone and he wants her to do a paternity test?"

Her fists clenched.

"She's been raped repeatedly and he wants her to have to wait six weeks to undergo a god damn amnio? Because he doesn't think the state should have to pay for the early testing? Is he for fucking real? She hasn't even started high school! SHE'S FOURTEEN. "

Various lawyers, lawmakers and other professionals all looked in their direction and Alice had to pull Tara off to the side.

"Tara, we're obviously filing an appeal. That judge is a notorious misogynist. He's shaming a kid for his own agenda, I know, it's disgusting, but we have to press on."

"I'll pay for it for god's sake," Tara said, near tears, "She's not being subjected to this forced gestation for another six weeks. This is, this is another rape. This is criminal."

Alice grabbed Tara's shoulders.

"I know you're angry. I'm angry too. But you need to step back. You're getting too involved in this case."

Tara was shaking.

"I, I, I…"

She hadn't been quite so upset in a long time and had to walk away.

"I have work to do. I just…I have work to do." 

* * *

Willow hovered at the bedroom doorway, in her pyjamas. Tara hadn't gone to bed at the same time as her in a week, even with Willow staying up later than usual to wait for her.

Willow was frustrated and worried.

"Tara? It's late."

Tara was spending so much time on Abigail's case that she'd had to bring all her other work home and had been working into the wee hours making sure no one was neglected.

"I'm working," she said shortly, without looking up.

Willow frowned.

"That's all you've been doing lately. You barely eat. We haven't watched a single episode of Chuck since that night, or even spent ten minutes together," she lamented, but Tara didn't respond, "You at least need some sleep. You've barely gotten any–"

"I'm working on a really difficult case with a really belligerent judge; can you please just leave me alone?" Tara snapped, but instantly regretted it.

She turned towards the bedroom.

"Willow, I'm–"

The bedroom door closed before she could finish and Tara sighed.

She popped two more Tylenol, pulled her next case file towards her and continued working.

Some time later, Willow woke to a strange, muffled sound. She lifted her head and noticed Tara's side of the bed was still empty. She sighed and shuffled out of bed, opened the bedroom door and immediately identified the sound as throwing up.

She approached the bathroom, which was in darkness, and flicked the lightswitch.

"Tara?"

Tara shielded her eyes and violently threw up, so Willow immediately knocked off the light again. Willow dropped to her knees behind her.

"Tara, what's wrong?"

Tara just made a wordless groan and held her head. Willow hugged her very gently from behind and held Tara's hair back as she started to retch again.

"It's gonna be okay, baby."

She spent a whole two hours murmuring reassurances into Tara's ear and rubbing her stomach. Tara was barely conscious, unable to keep her eyes open except when they would fly open as she heaved.

Finally a stretch of time passed where Tara wasn't sick and Willow all but dragged her into bed. She tucked Tara in beside her and touched her pale, cold cheek.

"You're overdoing it. You gotta take a sick day tomorrow, okay? No ifs, ands or buts. Get some sleep. It's all gonna be okay."

Tara barely made a sound, her breath laboured but even. Willow looked at her with concern and turned off the alarm. She pressed a delicate kiss to Tara's temple and gratefully closed her eyes for some rest too.

A few hours later, Willow woke again when the mid-morning sun bore into her eyelids. She blinked and sat up in the otherwise empty bed. Her eyes landed on a yellow post-it stuck where Tara's head should have been.

 _I had to go. I'm sorry._

Willow felt a surge of anger at how reckless Tara was being with herself. She scrunched up the note and threw it at the wall, then grabbed her cell phone. 

* * *

Tara pressed reject on Willow's call for the tenth time, with a guilty look and an even guiltier conscience.

She had so much on her plate and she just couldn't deal with the angry phone she was expecting and deserved.

Though Abigail had settled very well into her foster home, Tara was no closer to procuring permission from the judge to schedule a termination, despite continuing to fight.

She had messed up on a stupid technicality on a form that had made another boy have to be taken out of his foster home temporarily until she could rectify it and the office had become a difficult environment to work in because of her outbursts of frustration.

She'd heard gossiping in the break room about her pill popping because of the Tylenol she was substituting for food and Alice was being shifty and authoritarian with her to put her back in her place.

Tara knew each facet of it was her own fault, but she just couldn't cope and the work kept piling on. She seemed to be being used as a scapegoat for anyone to brush work off to, knowing she was embarrassed about her behaviour and wouldn't complain.

She yet again was one of the last people in the office, though one of the few other people left, Alice, didn't seem happy about it as she approached.

"Tara, go home."

Tara was busying typing.

"I need to submit this before midnight."

Alice pressed the button that made the monitor turn off without actually turning the computer itself off, so no work was lost.

"Go. Home," she reiterated firmly, then added when Tara looked helplessly at the screen, "I will do it for you, okay? It's no big deal."

Tara's eyes were downcast but Alice could still make out how sunken they were. She leaned against the cubicle in concern.

"You look like death. When was the last time you ate? Or slept?"

Tara shrugged one shoulder and Alice spotted the name on top of the pile of files on her desk.

"Why are you doing this? This isn't your case," she asked, picking it up and flicking through the rest of them, "None of these are your cases."

Tara swallowed, unwilling to get on any more bad sides, but Alice figured it out pretty quick. She put a hand on Tara's shoulder.

"They can't take advantage of you losing your cool. I'm on your side, I always was. Let me deal with this and go home. Now. Don't make me make it disciplinary action."

Alice was being kind and making a little joke to say that they could move past the tensions of the past few days, but Tara was too perpetually anxious to read it properly.

With great force, she made herself not cry and grabbed her purse to leave.

The whole T ride home, her headache pounded deeper and deeper, until it felt like her entire was head was thumping. There were lights behind her eyes and while stepping off the train, she narrowly missed the gap, falling over it instead and straight into a pole.

She whacked her head against it and stumbled around, to no help from the dozens of other people milling around her, on and off the train.

Eventually Tara straightened herself, though felt disorientated as she walked out onto the street and almost rounded the wrong corner to get home. When she got inside she nearly started to cry again when she couldn't steady her trembling hand enough to get the key in the door.

She felt utterly awful; not in control of her own body and pain waving through every inch of her. She tripped forward and lucked out that the key pushed in. She clicked it and stumbled into the apartment. The door banged closed behind her and made her stomach lurch.

Willow was in the kitchen stirring something at the stove and stared at her with anger.

"Oh, how nice of you to come home."

Tara felt a pressure in the front of her head like something was close to exploding.

"Willow… can we please…not…I don't…feel…"

"Oh right, because only what you want matters," Willow sniped, throwing a wooden spoon she'd been using into the sink with a clatter and turning her back to Tara to get milk from the fridge, "Never mind that I have barely spoken to you in a week, not by choice; never mind that I'm worried about you or that I was up all night holding your hair back while you threw up. Nope, let's just continue ignoring Willow, what does she matter anyway?"

She turned back around and her eyes flashed with fury when she saw Tara wasn't standing there any longer. She slammed the milk down on the counter and rounded the corner out of the kitchen.

"Don't you dare walk away from me when we're–" she started, nearly screaming, but stopped when she saw her girlfriend's body lying unconscious where she had been standing, "Tara?"

She dropped to her knees and turned Tara over to see her face, tapping her cheeks urgently for some kind of response.

"Tara?"

The panic came quickly and she shook Tara forcefully, to nothing.

"Baby!"


	26. Chapter 26

**ImSoCooliPissIceCubes** – Sorry for the anxiety!

 **smg55** – I'm glad you appreciate the cliffhanger, I'm never sure because I usually get mixed feedback when I use them because I only post once weekly. Thanks so much for all of your feedback, it means so much!

 **FivebyFive89** – I used to think I'd prefer headaches to nausea, then I got a bout of them that painkillers wouldn't touch – they're horrible! Don't worry, I'm still committed to as little doom and gloom as possible!

 **ClauIloveDimitriBelikov** – Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it! The kitten board is still there but we're having trouble with the servers sometimes – some people say doing this helps clear the ad page:

On windows run ipconfig /flushdns from a command prompt

and from a mac run sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

If that doesn't work, keep trying to access the page – you should get in eventually. I'm sorry for the non-permanent solution for now, but it's being worked on.

* * *

 _She turned back around and her eyes flashed with fury when she saw Tara wasn't standing there any longer. She slammed the milk down on the counter and rounded the corner out of the kitchen._

 _"Don't you dare walk away from me when we're–" she started, nearly screaming, but stopped when she saw her girlfriend's body lying unconscious where she had been standing, "Tara?"_

 _She dropped to her knees and turned Tara over to see her face, tapping her cheeks urgently for some kind of response._

 _"Tara?"_

 _The panic came quickly and she shook Tara forcefully, to nothing._

 _"Baby!"_

* * *

Willow cradled Tara's unconscious head in her lap, trying to pat some colour into her ashen face.

It felt like hours rather than minutes since she'd called 911 and babbled everything to them, and Tara hadn't shown any sign of life since; apart from erratic, shallow breathing.

Willow brushed the hair away from her girlfriend's brow.

"I promise if you wake up, I won't yell again," she said pleadingly, leaning her head down and making her tears flow from her own cheeks onto Tara's, "And I won't get mad when you leave the cap off the toothpaste and I won't finish the orange juice and put it back in the fridge and I'll make sure I match the right socks with each other when I do the laundry, not just put any two white ones together."

Their noses were touching and wet with Willow's tears.

"Please wake up."

The buzzer rang out through the room and Willow carefully laid Tara's head back on the ground before rushing to let the paramedics in. She held the door open as she heard them pound up the stairs. One man and one woman came in and Willow kept the door open as they loaded Tara onto the stretcher.

"Does she have any medical problems? Does she take any medications?" the woman asked, securing Tara's feet.

Willow shook her head.

"She's been popping Tylenol for a headache and she was throwing up last night."

"Did she report any pain in her chest before collapsing?" the woman asked.

Willow held a hand up helplessly.

"She said she wasn't feeling well. It was all very quick."

They brought her downstairs and Willow followed.

"Any allergies?" the man asked as the woman went around the ambulance to drive.

"Just shrimp," Willow answered, her eyes still streaming, "I have an EpiPen for her but last time she had a reaction her face swelled and her throat closed up. It wasn't like this."

She started to climb in to the ambulance, but was refused.

"I'm sorry, no room."

He started to shut the doors and Willow screamed after him.

"Where are you taking her!?"

He called back the name of the hospital, but Willow hadn't heard of it. She patted herself down for her phone to do a GPS search and realised she didn't have it. She rushed upstairs, finding to her sheer relief the door hadn't quite locked closed behind her, since her keys were sitting on the table inside.

Smoke was starting to come from the dinner she'd abandoned, so Willow hurried over to turn it all off and dump the burnt pot in the sink.

Next she grabbed her wallet, keys and phone and pulled up a map as she skated back down the stairs onto the street.

She cursed under her breath as the map loaded. She couldn't walk, or even run the route and it wasn't on a bus or T line.

 _Why did they have to take her to the most of the way place, there's more than 20 hospitals in this city!_

She ran to the nearest ATM to take money out for a cab but it was the end of the month and they were waiting on Tara's pay check. It just wasn't there for her to take out.

She slammed her fists against the machine and kicked the wall, which just made her stub her toe. She limped off, embarrassed by the people staring at her and backed up against a wall. She head her head in her hands and tried to think, then took her phone back out and dialled a number.

"Becky?" she asked, her voice high pitched and slightly hysterical, "Becky, Tara collapsed and they brought her to hospital and I can't get there and I'm really sorry but can you come get me because–thank you, thank you. I'll wait outside my building."

She went back to wait and Becky diligently pulled up after about 10 minutes, when really it could easily take at least 15 to 20 to get from her place.

Willow got in and belted up.

"I have directions, here, see."

Becky scanned the map and turned off to the right street.

"What happened?"

Willow rubbed her temple.

"She's been working herself to breaking point. She just came home and collapsed."

Becky just reached over and squeezed Willow's knee.

"She's gonna be okay."

Willow nodded in appreciation for the reassurance. Becky took the phone from her and rested it against the shift stick so she could see, following the map to the hospital. She pulled up on the curb in the set down area.

"Call me with news and/or when you need a ride home. I don't care if it's the middle of the night."

Willow crumbled under the kindness.

"Thank you."

Becky put a hand on Willow's shoulder.

"Hey," she comforted, "She's okay. Go in there and hold her hand."

Willow swiped at her eyes.

"Becky, thank you so much for the ride."

"Any time," Becky replied sincerely.

They embraced across the car until Becky got the look from the security guard to move on. Willow thanked her again and jumped out to walk into the ER.

She approached the desk, biting the skin around her nails.

"I-I'm looking for Tara Maclay, she was brought here in an ambulance."

"If you wait over there, someone will be out to talk to you shortly," the triage nurse answered in a bored tone as she handed over a clipboard, "Please fill out the insurance details."

Willow took the clipboard and found a seat amongst the other anxious families and patients waiting to be seen. There was an odd smell of blood and sterility that didn't seem to lift no matter where in the room she took a seat.

She had Tara's details saved in her wallet after their first emergency trip to the hospital and had kept them updated when Tara started work and changed providers. She scribbled everything down and returned it, then went back to sit and continue biting her nails nervously.

To distract herself, she took out her phone and researched the hospital. On their homepage, she saw they were the leading centre for brain injuries, which panicked her. She jumped up again and rushed over to the desk.

"Can't you tell me anything?"

The nurse looked up jadedly, but not without some heart.

"I'll chase someone up for you, okay? What was the name?"

"Tara," Willow answered gratefully, "Maclay."

The nurse nodded and picked up the phone. Willow slunk back to her seat and hid her phone away to stop from scaring herself any more.

Her fingertips tapped together for several tense minutes until something pricked her ears.

"Maclay?"

Willow jumped up and ran over to the male doctor in blue scrubs. He motioned her through the doors into the ER.

"Come on through," he said, walking and talking fast, "She woke up, but we've sedated her again. Her CT scan was clear and we've run blood tests to check for infection or inflammation. Maybe you can give us some more background."

Willow nodded and increased her step to keep up.

"Sure, anything," she replied, unable to stop a nervous lilt in her tone, "I got worried when I saw you guys are the brain injury place."

"There was a concern because of her symptoms obviously, so that's why she was diverted here," the doctor explained, bringing Willow to a single room at the very end of the corridor, "But we don't treat head injuries exclusively, we just have a specialty team. Our ER team here is trauma and general medicine and we treat every ER injury you can imagine. We don't have any reason for her to be specially assessed by the brain injury team."

Willow exhaled a sigh of relief, then felt a punch in the gut when she stepped into the room and saw Tara hooked up to the machines. She rushed over and stood above her, gently rubbing Tara's arm.

The doctor picked up the chart and checked the drip bag.

"The intake said she's been having headaches and she seemed in a lot of pain when she woke up. Do you know how long that's been going on? She was quite confused too."

"I suppose a few weeks," Willow answered quietly, still focused on Tara, "Really bad in the last week or so, all the time. She rarely takes pills but she was taking one after the other."

"What kind?" the doctor asked.

"Um, Tylenol," Willow replied.

"And when you say one after the other?" the doctor prompted.

"Oh, she wasn't overdosing," Willow clarified, "She's careful with stuff like that."

The doctor nodded.

"Any other symptoms?"

"She was vomiting all night and she's been so stressed," Willow recalled, her eyes never leading Tara's lids in the hope they would open, even knowing she was out cold, "Irritable and frustrated. Not sleeping. Barely eating. Did you say she woke up?"

The doctor scribbled on the chart and checked his watch.

"We sedated her. She was quite distressed. We'll be keeping her in overnight for observation. She'll likely sleep all night, so there's no need for you to stay."

"Can I?" Willow asked, squeezing Tara's hand more firmly.

"If you want. The ER is more lax with family visiting hours since we go all night," the doctor advised, "I'm about to go into shift change, so another doctor will be taking over for me."

There was no question in Willow's mind whether she was staying or not, so she just nodded again. She heard the door open and close and realised there was a chair there. She sat in and scooted close, holding Tara's hand between both of hers.

She looked at the heart and respiratory monitor and was soothed by the even beat. She had to fight a shudder being in the room and swallow her revulsion for hospitals so as not to add any negative energy into room.

She wasn't sure how into 'energy' she really was, but she knew Tara was, and she'd do anything if it added to her recovery.

The fluorescent lights overhead flickered and blinked, so Willow pulled the chain on the small light above the bed to turn it on and turned off the big ones. She knew how much Tara had been avoiding the light lately.

She sat back and rested her head alongside Tara's, inhaling softly from her sweet-smelling hair and found herself singing the only song she'd ever sang for her girlfriend.

Her tone was so low it was almost a hum and voice carried a sadness not usually reserved for the song in question.

"You are my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me ha-ppy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. So please don't take my sunshine away."

Minutes, possibly hours ticked by and Willow wondered about maybe closing her eyes, since Tara was seemingly out for the night. She was working out the right angle for her to swing her feet up and lean back on her chair without disturbing Tara when a nurse came in.

She was older, portly and probably as close to a stereotype as you could get. She flicked on all the lights to an annoyed brow furrow from Willow.

"Now, now, who do we have here?" the nurse asked, looking at Tara's chart, attaching something and checking the drip bags like the doctor had done, "Everything looking good here. Were you told you could go home?"

"I'd rather stay," Willow replied, trying not to be curt.

The nurse didn't seem too pleased at having to deal with more than just her patients.

"Don't worry about your sister. She's getting good care."

"She's not my sister," Willow replied absently, "She's my girlfriend."

The nurse's whole demeanour changed, displaying none of the caring nature her profession was known for.

"I'm afraid visiting hours are over for non-family members."

Willow looked up tiredly.

"The, the doctor said I could say. That the hours were more lax."

The nurse didn't budge.

"Just because the doctor doesn't follow the rules doesn't mean they don't exist. I will have to insist," she said in a haughty tone, that made Willow sure she was enjoying this, "Or I will have to have you forcibly removed."

Willow had no idea how they'd jumped to that point so quickly.

"Look, I'm not doing her any harm," she reasoned, then fixed the nurse with a steely gaze, "I'm. Not. Leaving. Her."

The nurse made a huffing sound and left. Willow went over and flicked the lights back off, but as she turned to go back to her seat, the nurse reappeared with a security guard. He immediately went to manhandle her, which made Willow think the nurse had made something up to get her kicked out so forcefully.

"Hey!" she objected, trying to resist his grip, "Hey, get off me! Get off me!"

An elbow, slightly accidentally, hit the security guard in the groin, making him grab his crotch and groan. A tall woman in a white coat with messy brown hair tied up in a bun and a stethoscope around her neck clacked down the hallway with an indignant look on her face.

"What is going on here, this is a sleeping patient!" she said, stepping in and spotting who was in the bed, "Tara?"

Willow, the nurse and the security guard were at odds, so the new doctor stepped between them all and took charge.

"I'll take care of this. Stephen, I think you can take a long break," she said to the security guard, who grumbled and went off.

The doctor eyeballed the nurse when she didn't move.

"Mary, I said I would take care of this."

She gave the nurse a look that said she was sick of having to deal with her without actually vocalising it, and almost challenged her to give her a reason to go to HR.

Mary made some self-important remark about caring for her patients and stomped off. The doctor let the door hit her on the way out, while Willow was still brushing herself off.

Willow looked at the doctor, caught her breath and tried to be respectful for the sake of pleading her case.

"I'm sorry I shoved your security guy but you can't make me leave her. I won't leave her. I'm so sick of people saying I'm not her family, I am, I'm all she has."

She sank back into the chair and re-took Tara's hand.

"She's all I have."

The doctor came over and picked up Tara's chart, briefly skimmed it, then stood opposite Willow on Tara's other side.

"Are you Willow?"

Willow looked up in surprise.

"Yeah. How did you know that?"

The doctor smiled kindly.

"I've had to call Tara in on a few cases. We've grabbed a coffee. She's mentioned you," she explained and offered her hand, "I'm Dr. Bradshaw. Meg, not Carrie."

Willow shook it weakly, not from avoidance, just despondency.

"Please don't make me leave."

The doctor sighed, looked at the chart and folded her arms lightly across her chest.

"Well looking at this it seems Tara needs her rest. I'll mark her room as doctor review only so her door isn't being opened and closed all night and letting the light in."

One of her eyebrows arched and she looked directly at Willow.

"That means I'll be the only one in here monitoring her. No one else will be disturbing her. No one else will be coming in here."

Willow understood what the doctor was doing for her and humbly and gratefully nodded.

"I'll stay quiet," she whispered.

Dr. Bradshaw felt for Willow and the stupid rules that governed the hospital. She flipped the chart to check if the bloodwork had come back and found it at the back.

"You know, I have this awful habit of reading out loud," she said to herself, "Patient's bloodwork has come back clear. I wonder if she's had any sensitivity to light?"

Willow looked up and vigorously nodded.

"Yes, she did. She had all the lights dimmed all the time and when she was throwing up I turned the light on and she practically passed out."

"And I would have to wonder if there had been any change in her medications or diet, changes in her routine, sleep, work, stress?" the doctor asked, still not looking at Willow.

"She's been working crazy hard with really difficult cases," Willow answered, "All day and all night."

Dr. Bradshaw wrote on Tara's chart.

"Well, if her family were here, I'd tell them that I suspect she's suffering from migraines brought on by stress."

"Migraines?" Willow asked.

"Which can be isolated events and may not occur again after rest and recuperation," Dr. Bradshaw continued.

Willow face flooded with relief.

"So she's going to be okay?"

The doctor finally met Willow's eye.

"That's what I would tell her family, yes."

Willow mouthed 'thank you' and the doctor gave her a sly wink, put the chart back down and left. Minutes later, she returned dragging an old recliner chair like they put in children's wards for parents to sleep in at night.

"This old chair was getting in the way. I'll have to store it in here for the night."

Willow almost burst into tears at the kindness being extended to her, in such contrast to the altercation with the nurse. The recliner felt like a king bed compared to the crappy little side chair and Willow was able to bring it close enough to still hold Tara's hand. She hid her shoes under the bed so there would be no tripping and turned off the light above Tara's head.

There was still a glow in the room from the machines and light coming through the frosted glass in the door, but Willow was happy to be able to make out Tara's face.

She pressed a kiss to her own fingers, then against Tara's lips.

"Love you, baby. I'll never leave you."

* * *

Tara eyelids were heavy as they tried to open.

They slowly blinked open and she weakly lifted a hand to try and aid them.

Willow was stirred by the brushing against her hand and she woke up a bit faster, even more so when she saw her girlfriend's eyes were opening.

"Tara," she said, pushing herself up and wiping her mouth for drool, "Tara, baby. How are you, are you okay? You're in the hospital."

Tara mumbled Willow's name and Willow got her a cup of water from the water fountain in the corner.

"Here, baby, drink this."

She pressed the call button while she helped Tara drink.

Dr. Bradshaw peered around the door a minute or two later, and walked in fully when she saw Tara awake and responding.

She approached and checked the monitor.

"Hi Tara."

Tara's sleepy eyes blinked in the doctor's direction.

"Meg?"

"Hey Tara," the doctor repeated with some more familiarity this time, "How are you feeling? You know where you are?"

Tara remembered Willow mentioning the hospital and had flashes of the night before.

"A little groggy," she answered eventually.

"Headache?" the doctor asked.

Tara was thoroughly surprised and delighted to find that she, in fact, did not have a headache.

"Not right now."

"Any pain or discomfort?" the doctor asked and Tara shook her head, "You remember being brought in here?"

"Vaguely," Tara answered, "What happened?"

"Before you collapsed, did you experience a sort of gradual disorientation, flashing lights, a ringing in your ear or distorted vision before the bad head pain?" the doctor enquired.

Tara nodded surely.

"All of it."

The doctor nodded back.

"That's called a migraine aura."

"So I had a migraine?" Tara asked, eyes creasing.

"I'm confident in that, yes," Dr. Bradshaw replied, "The good news is, if yours was brought on from stress then it's likely to go away when that stress is removed. If you do continue getting them, then we might have to look at other triggers. But that's not something to worry about right now."

Tara suddenly felt a rush of exhaustion again.

"Oh."

Dr. Bradshaw patted Tara's shoulder.

"Keep resting. I'll check on you again before I get off shift, and you can go this afternoon, I think, if the migraine stays subsided. But rest for now."

Tara was asleep again before the doctor had even finished speaking, so she turned her attention to Willow.

"She's going to need a few days off work. Sleeping well, eating well, relaxing. I'm going to prescribe a sedative for night time and I need you to make sure she's resting."

"I'll make sure she gets it. I'll call her boss right now," Willow vowed, then looked at her watch quickly and saw the early hour, "Well. Maybe in an hour."

"Good idea," the doctor replied.

"Thank you so much for everything," Willow said sincerely, aware of how much more difficult her night may have been.

The doctor nodded, offered a smile and headed back out into the ER, leaving Willow to watch over Tara, feeling much lighter having seen her awake.

She kept holding Tara's hand, just as she always would.

* * *

Tara was sitting up in bed, feeling stronger than she had a few hours earlier.

She was waiting on Willow to bring them back breakfast and was anxious because Willow wouldn't let her have her phone. If she had been physically capable, she would have walked right out of the ER but her body was still recovering from the collapse. There was the beginning of a pulsating pain furrowing its way into her temple again.

The doors swung open and she was about to beg Willow again to just let her call the office herself instead of Willow calling in for her, but it wasn't Willow who came in.

"Alice," Tara said in surprise.

Alice stood at the foot of the bed, shaking her head.

"Tara. What are you doing here?"

Tara misunderstood the question.

"T-the doctor says I can come out this afternoon and I can come straight to work and–"

"Tara, are you crazy?" Alice interrupted, "You worked yourself so hard you collapsed. I wanted to rush right over here when Willow called this morning but I had to go to court. What are you doing to yourself?"

Tara ducked her head, subserviently.

"I don't want disciplinary action."

Alice's face creased and she came to sit by Tara.

"Disciplinary action?" she asked softly, taking Tara's hand in hers, "Tara, I was kidding around. We had a rough few days and I was just trying to say we're okay. If I had any idea you were at this point I would have intervened a long time ago."

Tara's eyes remained down but Alice sought her gaze.

"This job is rough. But doing this to yourself, this helps no one. Especially those that need it most," she said firmly, "I've spoken to the boss. He says you have two weeks' vacation days you have to use or lose and I'm ordering you to use."

Tara became visibly panicked.

"Abby–"

"The judge said yes this morning," Alice interrupted, making Tara go wide-eyed.

Alice smiled and nodded.

"He was persuaded by all your work and the statement you got from Abigail. Well, his hand was forced more like, but that doesn't matter. We're scheduling the termination. Unfortunately she'll need a surgical one because of the delays, but the point is, it's happening. You did it."

Tara's hand covered her eyes to shield the tears that sprang there. She was utterly relieved and overjoyed and felt an instant alleviation of her anxieties. The pain in her head was swallowed and she just felt the light relief.

"I'm taking over her case personally and I will make sure she's taken care of. I promise you," Alice vowed, squeezing Tara's hand, "This isn't a punishment. This is your health."

Tara sniffled and nodded gratefully. Alice kindly offered her a tissue.

"You need to be able to vent and release, not keep all pent up until you burst. Talk to me, talk to Willow. Talk to someone."

Tara wiped the tissue under her nose.

"I can't talk to Willow about cases."

"Don't mention names, don't mention anything identifying," Alice advised, "But mention what's getting you so wound up. Don't be in your own head all the time. We all do it. We all need someone to vent to."

Tara felt lightened at the 'permission', which Alice noticed and tapped her hand affectionately.

"If you're feeling up to it, let's have a quiet drink this weekend, okay?"

"Thank you," Tara replied with a watery smile.

"I'll let you rest," Alice said, standing up again, "Your vacation is all organised. Don't worry about a thing."

She brushed some of Tara's hair off to the side affectionately, waved and headed for the door. She bumped into Willow on the threshold, carrying a brown paper bag.

"Oh, Alice. Hi."

"Hi Willow," Alice greeted softly, "I was just ordering Tara on two weeks' vacation."

"Two wee–wow," Willow said, delighted, "That's, that's great. She needs it. Thank you."

Alice waved a hand.

"No need to thank me. She's entitled. I'll see you around."

She left and Willow approached Tara on the bed again.

"How do you feel about that?"

Tara's eyes suddenly filled with tears again.

"I think I really need it."

Willow left the bag down on the nightstand and hugged Tara's head to her chest.

"Yeah. Yeah you do," she said, soft and comforting, "Hey, hey. It's okay."

"I can't do this again," Tara sobbed, overcome with just how sick she'd made herself, "I can't get here."

Willow hugged her tight.

"I won't let you. We're a team, okay?"

Tara nuzzled into Willow's chest.

"Love you."

"Love you so much," Willow answered evocatively.

It wasn't the happiest start to a vacation, but the happiness would come.

First on the agenda was full recuperation.


	27. Chapter 27

**FivebyFive89** – Here's hoping you get a break sometime soon!

 **ClauIloveDimitriBelikov** – She really did, but she can start to recover now. Sorry it took so long for you to get into the board, some people seem to be getting more strife than others about accessing it…it's frustrating me too, hoping we can work it out soon.

* * *

 _sorry it's late, tech troubles!_

* * *

Tara slipped her flat shoes over her feet and stood off the hospital bed, grateful to leave the uncomfortable gown behind.

The doctor had seen fit to discharge her when the migraine hadn't resurfaced, and Willow had collected the sleeping pills to get her through the next few days. Tara didn't think she'd need them, but she would take them to stop Willow from worrying.

Willow was delighted Tara was coming home and that she wouldn't have to fight her corner to stay another night, but was also wary that her girlfriend really understood that she had to rest. She was folding the blanket at the end of the bed and watching to make sure Tara was steady on her feet.

"I still think you should put this over you going home."

Tara looked over her shoulder.

"That's called stealing. And it's summer."

Willow patted the folded blanket with a sigh.

"It's kind of scratchy anyway."

"I'm okay now," Tara replied, checking the buttons on her blouse, "Though these work clothes make me feel like I'm doing a walk of shame."

"The doctor said you could still be vulnerable to the migraine returning," Willow replied with a sternly affectionate tone, "So we're taking it easy and that's non-negotiable."

Argument would have been futile, and Tara had gotten enough of a wake-up call to realise she needed to take it easy. She also needed to have someone to make it non-negotiable and was appreciating Willow being a hard-ass, albeit a gentle one.

"You ready?" Willow asked, coming up behind Tara and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Tara nodded.

"Did you ask the desk to call a cab? This place is off the public transport lines."

"Yeah, I figured that out the hard way," Willow replied with a roll of her eyes, "I asked Becky to swing by on her lunch break."

"She didn't have to do that," Tara said, confused, "It's out of her way. I don't want to bother her. Why can't we get a cab?"

"Payday isn't until tomorrow," Willow explained sheepishly, "She, um, brought me in last night too."

Tara hadn't been paying much attention to their finances, other than bumping up her hours when she anticipated perhaps paying for Abigail's medical testing herself.

"That was really nice of her," she replied, touched, "I'll be getting a good bit of overtime pay. We'll get her something nice."

Willow grinned.

"She would probably appreciate a six pack…man or beer variety. The beer will probably be easier to obtain."

Tara smiled too and leaned her head in on Willow's shoulder.

They left the room together, thankful to leave it behind and signed the discharge papers. When everything was in order, they went to wait outside, where Becky pulled up minutes later. She rolled down the window to wave to them.

"How's everyone doing?"

Tara crawled into the back seat and into the corner.

"I'm fine now, Becky. Just a migraine."

"'Just'," Willow muttered under her breath as she sat into the passenger side and secured her own seatbelt, "She's okay, Beck, just needs to rest."

Tara rested her head on the window and closed her eyes, still lethargic from the sedative.

What felt like moments later to her, she felt a bump and opened her eyes to see Becky pulling up on the curb outside their building.

She sat up, blinked and rubbed her eyes.

"Oh. We're home."

She stepped out of the car and smiled softly at Becky.

"Thank you so much. We owe you one."

Becky reached out through the window and put her hand in Tara's.

"I'm really glad you're okay."

They shared a smiled and Becky squeezed Tara's palm before releasing her. Willow came around from the passenger side and put an arm around Tara's waist.

"Thank you Becky!"

Becky waved and drove off again while Willow guided Tara into the building.

She fussed over Tara as they walked into the apartment, bringing her over to the couch and fluffing her cushions behind her.

Tara appreciated it, but stopped her by putting a hand on her wrist.

"Willow, I just had a migraine, not a baby."

Willow stepped back, but with her hands on her hips.

"I think you should be in bed."

"I don't need to be in bed. I'm perfectly fine on the couch," Tara insisted, but knew a resolve face when she saw one, "Okay, okay. I'll get into bed. But just for today."

She stood back up and was pretty much marched into the bedroom. Willow got on her knees to help take Tara's shoes off, then got her a pair of cool pyjama shorts and a tank top to change in to.

She stood up and wiped the sweat from brow with her forearm.

"I need to get the fan on in here."

She lugged it in from where it was beside the couch and set it in the corner of the bedroom on the oscillating setting so the room would stay cool. She then went to unplug the TV and lug it in.

Tara was putting her old clothes in the hamper and winced seeing Willow bend to get the television up on the dresser.

"You'll hurt your–"

It clanged into place and Willow wiped her hands off each other with a smile.

"All done. Now you'll be comfortable. Lie down please."

"Yes, mistress," Tara replied with a grin, actually able to relax for the first time in a long time as her body moulded into the mattress, "Lie with me?"

Willow plugged the TV into the wall, left the remote on Tara's nightstand and got into bed beside her, above the covers. She kicked off her shoes and fluffed Tara's pillows there too.

Tara let her but brought her attention back by playing with the ends of her hair. Willow settled in and Tara moved her hand down to brush her fingers against Willow's arm.

"Haven't had much time alone," she said, lifting her gaze to Willow's eyes, "We should talk about that."

She took her hand back so as not to seem like she was manipulating Willow's emotions with affection.

"You were pretty upset with me."

"It doesn't matter," Willow replied, though some hurt flashed in her eyes.

Tara shook her head.

"Yeah, it does. I wasn't treating you very well. I was moody and dismissive and neglectful."

"You had stuff going on," Willow replied with a one shoulder shrug, "I get it."

"It's not an excuse," Tara said and slipped her hand into Willow's, "I'm sorry. I'll be more aware in the future. Can you forgive me?"

Willow nodded and leaned in to press a tender kiss against Tara's lips. She held Tara's cheek and brushed their noses together, treating her gently so as not to disturb her recuperation. She was not-so-secretly delighted about all the time off, both for them to have some time together and so she could really make sure her girlfriend was nursed to full health.

"Did you have a good talk with Alice earlier? It was nice of her to come and organise everything for you."

Tara nodded, eyes fluttering closed.

"Much needed."

Willow was relieved.

"I know whatever was going on must have been really rough."

"It was…" Tara replied, exhaling a shaky breath, "But it got resolved today. At least…a big part of it."

"That's a relief, I'm sure," Willow comforted.

"You have no idea," Tara replied, pausing for a few moments before meeting Willow's eye, "There was a girl. A teenager. And…she was being abused by her stepfather. Sexually."

"That's awful," Willow said, eyes creasing.

Tara closed her eyes, shielding their pain.

"There were…complications and we were fighting in court and–" she stopped to catch her breath and avoid the tears, "It was just really hard."

She sniffled and buried her face into Willow's chest.

"I'm sorry, it's just been so difficult for her. It's not over but at least she can try to start recovering now. She's in a good home and I just wish…she just deserves some peace."

"She's gonna get it," Willow said softly, rubbing Tara's back, "'Cause of you. You did good, baby. You did good."

Tara didn't sob, but she did sniffle and dropped some tears onto Willow's shirt.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Willow replied, stroking Tara's hair and nuzzling her nose into her girlfriend's parting, "I'm glad you're able to talk to me. I felt so helpless, I knew you were in a bad place but I didn't know what I could do to help you."

She closed her arms around Tara and kissed her cheeks.

"Then we kinda had this wedge and you were stressed and I was mad and the wedge got bigger…" she explained with a sigh, "Anyway, I hate how things went but I'm glad we're back on the right path. We'll both take a break from worrying about work and lack-of-work stuff, how does that sound?"

Tara cuddled into Willow, face in her neck.

"That sounds good…" she whispered.

She hadn't had or allowed herself the opportunity to be so close to Willow in what, at that moment, felt like months. She inhaled softly and felt an enjoyable tingle start in her stomach and dip lower.

"Almost as good as you smell."

Willow felt butterflies flutter in her belly and she indulged in them for a few moments before gently pushing her girlfriend away.

"Tara…" she said, voice pained at having to resist, "You're just out of hospital."

Tara was suddenly quite filled with all the longing she had missed in the past few weeks.

"I feel good," she replied, offering up her sultry sideways smile, "But we could feel better…together."

Willow felt her resolve crumbling and had to really set her jaw to resist.

"You know I want to. But you have to rest. The doctor said so."

Tara tickled Willow's eat with her breath.

"I asked the doctor, she said it was okay…"

"You did?" Willow asked hopefully, then frowned, "No you didn't. You would have been too embarrassed. You knew the doctor, you're friends."

"Not Meg, the doctor who discharged me," Tara explained, then relented, "Okay, I didn't ask, but she was talking to me about triggers and treatments. She said sex can help. She really did say that."

Tara brushed her fingers against Willow's exposed collarbone.

"I know you know all about those endorphins…"

Willow did know the chemistry of sex, but also knew they were throwing caution to the wind a little bit. However, she wasn't exactly thinking with her head anymore. Tara's heaving cleavage in the tank top had put that option to bed quite a while ago.

Tara saw a flush rising on Willow's cheeks and could see the almost imperceptible squeezing of her thighs together.

"Would I lie to you to get you into bed?" she prompted, then gave a short nod and backed off when Willow didn't reply, "If you're not feeling it, it's okay. We'll watch a movie."

"Wait," Willow said quickly.

Her reasoning had flown out the window and her body would never forgive her if she gave up the opportunity. She pulled Tara back by the sleeve.

"You promise you feel up to it?"

Tara grinned.

"I'm not asking you to install a sex swing."

"Good, because I wouldn't know how!" Willow replied with a giggle.

Tara loved the way Willow's face lit up when she giggled and her skin tightened watching her girlfriend's tongue poke out between her teeth. She scooted back towards Willow and traced her jaw with her finger. Her finger travelled under Willow's chin and lifted it; bringing her in to plant their lips together.

Willow felt the last of her nerves melt away as Tara's lips tenderly touched hers.

Tara cupped Willow's cheek and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Willow moaned as Tara's tongue slid against hers and she reached behind to pull her girlfriend's tank top from her shorts.

Tara's hand slid down Willow's shoulder and rubbed her upper arm, then she kissed along the shoulder blade into the neck. As her lips pressed against the soft skin, her hands snaked between them and she began to unbutton her girlfriend's shirt.

Willow shrugged the shirt off her outer shoulder and freed her arm. She moved onto her back and yanked the other arm free, tossing her shirt somewhere off to the side. Her hand slid under Tara's tight tank; the material hugging her and making the curve of her bra-less breasts cling and swell, teasing Willow with their sight. She kissed Tara again and made herself hold back enough not to just throw her down and take her.

They'd spent so long bumbling around each other with little communication or contact and Willow was feeling everything she'd missed. She was trying to tame her spiralling arousal; still with some concern for 'taking it easy' for Tara's sake.

Her clit was already throbbing, so deeply that she could literally feel the blood rushing away from her head and down further.

Tara noticed Willow's lips slowed down, so she broke the kiss but kept their faces close and touching.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, hands moving to back of Willow's neck to massage her there.

Willow shuddered as Tara's fingertips tickled the short hairs on the nape of her neck. Her eyes opened and upon locking with Tara's, they darkened with lust. Her nails scraped Tara's abdomen, who exhaled a shaky moan and tugged Willow back down by the back of her neck to kiss her.

Tara pushed her straps down on her tank top and then pushed the material right down past her hips to avoid the parting of their lips by lifting it over her head.

Willow saw Tara's breasts bounce into view out of the corner of her eye and quickly reached behind herself to snap her own bra off. Tara pulled the straps down Willow's arms and off her, causing the bra to fall onto her stomach. She flicked it away and ran her hands up Willow's stomach to cup her breasts.

Willow moved to try and do the same but there were too many hands in the one place, so Tara graciously gave up her hold and reached down to pop Willow's pants button and unzip her.

Willow shuffled her hips to help get them off and sat back when they were at her knees to twist them the rest of the way. While there, she gathered the tank and shorts around Tara's hips and stripped them off as well.

She rubbed Tara's shins, slowly making her way up her girlfriend's knees and thighs. She kissed below Tara's bellybutton as her hands moved up and trailed her lips to Tara's breasts and up into her neck.

Her palm rolled over Tara's nipple as her lips teased the spot under her girlfriend's ear.

"Still feeling all of the good?"

Tara felt her nipple hardening with the same tingle that was prickling between her legs.

"All of the great," she breathed.

She felt a smile against her skin and turned her head towards Willow. Her palm curved around Willow's cheek and fingers splayed so she could hold her face for a long kiss.

Willow laid down on her back and pulled Tara on top of her, very gently. Their thighs rubbed and stomachs skimmed and breasts rolled into each other, making each moan into the other's mouth.

Tara trailed her fingertips down Willow's side and cupped a hand under her rear. She squeezed there, then dragged her hand between Willow's legs and pulled a finger up between her lips. She twirled that finger around and up to press against Willow's clit.

Willow's hips jerked and her mouth left Tara's for a moment to take in a deep breath before retaking her girlfriend's lip. She inhaled deeply the heat passing between them.

Tara felt her belly flop as the breath was pulled from her and pressed her body right into Willow, interlocking with her everywhere she could. A second finger rolled over Willow's clit and then both fingers slid down to enter her.

Willow's hands had been on Tara's butt and her nails proceeded to rake up her girlfriend's spine as she felt those long fingers fill her.

"Shit," she breathed, but Tara just moaned in her ear.

Willow hadn't meant to be so aggressive but Tara seemed to be enjoying it, and she had to trust her girlfriend would say stop if she needed to.

Tara felt Willow's legs fall open and used the space to slide her thumb up and add more clitoral friction. She felt Willow's moans vibrating against her lips, making her hips squirm with the gush of arousal it produced.

Willow felt Tara's pussy rub up against her thigh and loved how wet she was. She rolled them on their sides and her hand made a quest between Tara's legs to play with her clit.

"Oh," Tara said with a raspy undertone, twisting and thrusting her hips towards Willow's, "Ahh, oh, mmm…"

"Mmm," Willow returned, her muscles inside squeezing Tara as she started to come.

It all happened too fast for her to stop, her body wracking it out with her lips paused on Tara's.

Tara didn't mind waiting and just leisurely brushed her lips against Willow's until she recovered.

Willow's eyes settled on Tara and she sluggishly moved herself on top of her.

"Am I too heavy?" she asked in a whisper.

"You've never been too heavy," Tara replied in the same soft, sweet tone.

She smiled and kissed Willow again, who lifted Tara's leg over her hip. She ran her fingers through Tara's mound and between her lips, making sure she was plenty aroused before gently entering her.

Tara exhaled a slow breath, her hands moving behind Willow's head to cup it and bring them forehead-to-forehead. Their eyes were locked and giving her all the intensity she needed and craved, boring into her from Willow's electric green eyes.

She opened her mouth on Willow's lips, kissing her deeply and all but devouring her.

Willow used her other hand to guide Tara's arms above her head, where she pinned her by the wrists. She returned the kiss just as passionately, letting herself be unrestrained.

When Tara broke away to breathe, Willow needed more in her mouth, so she moved it down to Tara's chest, kissing and licking her breasts and nipples wherever her lips landed. She released Tara's wrists to have her palm follow.

She loved the coarse feeling of Tara's areola pebbling against her lips and the erotic scrape of her teeth against the straining nipple.

Tara's head lolled back against the pillows as her hips and chest lifted into Willow, craving more of her touch. The scratch of Willow's teeth made her clench hotly and pull Willow deeper inside.

She was already close and could feel that expanding heat escaping through her pores. She lifted Willow's mouth from her nipple and brought her up, yearning for more of her kiss. She couldn't get enough.

Willow could feel Tara's need in her lips and the desperate clutching on her back. She curled her fingers inside and used all the weight in her hips to thrust, without putting any extra weight on Tara.

"Yeah…yeah…mmm…"

Tara's hands slid up Willow's back and around to hold her face again. With her fingers splayed on Willow's cheeks and lips catching a last breath, she came hard, with her eyelids fluttering.

Their eyes were locked again and Tara managed to stay focused without their gaze breaking. She blinked a few times as the rush tapered off and she pressed her lips up against Willow's again, breathing her first breath through Willow's mouth.

Willow gently eased Tara's leg down and slowly pulled out, continuing to rub her lips up and down.

Tara's hands dropped, finger by finger as her body relaxed into the bed.

"I love you," she whispered between a kiss.

"I love you too," Willow whispered back.

She continued to kiss Tara, softly nipping at her lips, then at her throat before shuffling off to let their sweaty bodies' breath.

Tara reached out to grasp Willow's wrist.

"Don't go too far."

Willow turned onto her stomach and crossed her arms under her head.

"I'm not," she reassured, kissing Tara's shoulder, "Your colour is a lot better…you were so pale."

Tara grinned as her toes curled, ankles turning inwards before they released again.

"Well I certainly _feel_ a lot better," she said and gently twirled some of Willow's hair around her finger, "And closer to you…"

Willow dropped her chin against Tara's shoulder and kissed the blade again.

"It sucks when we're out of sync."

Tara brushed her fingers against Willow's cheek with remorse. She placed her palm flat while her fingertips tickled the curve of Willow's ear.

"Wanna watch something together?" she suggested, hoping to extend their quality time.

Willow grinned.

"You've lucked out, you have a resident Daytime TV expert in your midst," she said as she rolled onto her back to grab the remote, "I normally watch Ellen around now. You know, solidarity and all."

Tara offered a fistbump, which Willow returned. She flicked through the channels until it was on the right one and secured the sheet loosely over them.

They cuddled as they watched the talk show, just savouring being together.

"We should get a TV in here all the time," Willow commented after a while.

Tara turned her head towards Willow and shook it.

"No way. It ruins romances. Your phone is bad enough," she said with a serious but still slightly teasing grin, "It does have an appeal though. Bed cuddles are nice."

Willow wrapped her arms tight around Tara and rolled over on top. She pressed her lips against Tara's, a soft brushing together and a nose nuzzle for emphasis.

"All cuddles are nice."

Tara brought her hands up to hold Willow's face, fingertips grazing her cheeks.

"I missed you," she whispered, only audible because of their proximity.

Willow inhaled one of Tara's breaths and let its warmth fill her.

"I missed you too."

Tara pulled Willow's face down again for a tender, gratifying smooch. Willow curled herself around Tara's side and started to trace her collarbone.

Tara found herself doing something similar on Willow's hip.

"How have you been doing?"

"Same old Willow," Willow answered with a slightly self-deprecating smile, "Kinda been putting an intermission on the job search. The constant rejection was bringing me down."

Tara smiled sympathetically.

"Love you," she said with a reassuring kiss to Willow's cheek, "What else is going on?"

Willow thought for a moment.

"I've been kicking Brian's ass at Xbox. That's a games console, by the way."

"I bet you have," Tara replied encouragingly, "What else?"

Willow couldn't think of anything thrilling off the top of her head.

"I mastered the quesadilla."

"Wow, I can't wait to try it," Tara said with genuine enthusiasm, smiling for a moment before it faltered, "I've really been shutting you out. It stops now and I'm really sorry."

Willow's gaze lifted to Tara's, who kept it.

"And I'm sorry I scared you."

Willow's eyes clouded.

"It was scarier than the allergic reaction. I almost set the place on fire because I forgot I was cooking and then…"

"What?" Tara asked softly.

Willow dropped her gaze again.

"I was frazzled and I didn't think to remember to say you were my sister. The nurse got all huffy and tried to get me kicked out."

Tara's eyebrows shot up and then she moved her hand up to rub Willow's arm.

"Honey…I'm so sorry."

Willow shrugged one shoulder.

"It's no big deal. Your nice doctor friend stuck up for me. I would've handcuffed myself to you if I'd had to."

"You shouldn't have had to," Tara replied, shaking her head, "I love you for fighting for me."

Willow looked up again.

"I'd go down kicking and screaming if I had to. I wasn't about to let go of your hand."

They leaned in and met each other half way for yet another kiss.

"I'll try not to scare you again," Tara promised as they parted.

"Take care of yourself," Willow insisted.

Tara nodded.

"Yes. I promise."

"And I'll be taking care of you too," Willow vowed, "I will make you something delicious and nutritious. Wait, I might actually have something in my repertoire; my Bubbe's matzo ball soup. I helped her sometimes when I was a kid."

"Sounds yummy," Tara replied, feeling a pang of hunger at the thought.

Willow sat up and swung her legs over the bed.

"You rest and stay tuned for Judge Judy. Now there's a ball buster."

"How long are you going to imprison me?" Tara asked dramatically.

Willow leaned over for a last kiss before standing.

"It's called loving you, doofus. Suck it up."

"I love you too," Tara answered, shifting her hips and feeling a different pang as she watched Willow's nude body move around the room.

Willow found a Kermit the frog t-shirt to put on with some sweats.

"And hopefully you won't be in bed for long – if my Bubbe was right, this soup has healing properties to rival the biggest pharmacy."

Tara lifted an eyebrow.

"Something tells me not to argue with an old Jewish grandmother or her equally stubborn Jewish granddaughter."

Willow grinned over her shoulder.

"Good call," Willow replied, tying the strings on her sweats, "Now I shall go fill you with my goodness."

Tara smirked.

"Is that not what you just did?"

"Of the nutritious kind," Willow clarified while fighting a blush, "I better not see you out of bed…"

"Yes, ma'am," Tara answered diligently.

She rested her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes, smiling.

Being sick was never fun, but being taken care of was a novelty she'd never get tired of.

Especially if it involved staying in bed with Willow.


	28. Chapter 28

**smg55** – Alice already told her to reign it in and spent a few days putting her in line before Tara collapsed. So they've dealt with that. I don't think it would come again, since Tara's collapse came about from overwork, not insubordination. They were separate issues and the latter was dealt with. I appreciate your input, though, thanks.

 **JustJane18** – It's true, they can be very helpful, but I'm sure Tara won't take advantage…oh hell, they both will! :P

 **Clauxx** – Yes, Tara is much better and getting even more so! :)

* * *

Tara walked through the door of the apartment, to be immediately greeted by Willow with her hands on her hips.

"Where were you? I came out of the shower and you were gone. You're supposed to be resting still."

"Sorry, Mom," Tara replied with just a hint of a teasing smirk, "I had to go to the Kinko's across the street."

"For what?" Willow asked, though did drop the pose.

"I needed to print off some forms for us to sign," Tara explained, closing the door behind her, "If you're willing, that is."

"To do…?" Willow prompted.

Tara laid out two sets of papers and clicked a pen she had ready.

"Well, I didn't want what you told me happened in the hospital to happen again. So I want to organise power of attorney and a health care proxy so I know you'll have control over what happens to me if something comes up again."

Willow was slightly stunned and lifted the papers up to read and take it in.

It was a no-brainer, of course, that she would sign. She also couldn't help but be slightly thrilled at what it said for their relationship.

She knew how solid and long-term they were, but it was gratifying to be writing something on paper that really cemented their trust and partnership.

There was only one question.

"Did you print out a couple of copies so I can nominate you too?"

Tara shyly nodded and Willow immediately grabbed the pen and hunched over to scribble. She neatly signed the health care proxy and blew lightly to dry the ink.

"This is…a relief, actually. One I didn't know I needed."

"It'll hold until we're married," Tara answered, offhand.

Willow got a mischievous look on her face and bent down on one knee. Tara glanced over and got wide-eyed when Willow took her hand.

"Tara Maclay…" Willow said in her sweetest, most loving voice, "Will you power of attorney me?"

Air puffed out of Tara's nose and she snatched her hand back.

"I'm gonna kill you, Willow Rosenberg," she said scathingly, but a smile was tugging at her lips at the same time, "Come up here and sign the damn form."

Willow stood up, grinning. She put an arm around Tara's shoulders and gave her a little good-natured squeeze. Tara shot her an affectionately withering look, then kissed her cheek. Willow nuzzled gently, then filled out what she could of the second form.

"Do we have to get this notarised?"

Tara nodded.

"I know a bunch of people through work. I'll make an appointment for some time during the week."

Willow left the pen down, smiling.

"This was smart, but sweet too. I love you and I promise I will make sure you're given the best care possible."

Tara brushed her fingers over Willow's.

"We should talk about our wishes if we end up on life support."

The reality of the documents hit Willow and her smile quickly soured.

"Can we not?" she asked, turning her back to pretend to straighten picture frames on the breakfast bar.

"If I'm brain dead I don't want to be kept alive on machines," Tara said, using a soft tone to ease the sombreness of what she was saying.

"Duly noted, moving on," Willow replied speedily.

Tara came up behind and gently squeezed both of Willow's shoulders.

"Baby…"

Willow's eyes glanced over her shoulder to Tara and she blinked away the glassiness.

"Look…write down all your wishes and we'll file it with a copy of the proxy. I promise I'll take care of them all if I need to, just…please, I can't have those images in my head. They'll never leave. I'll do the same with mine, okay?"

Tara dropped her hands around her girlfriend's mid-section and rested her chin on Willow's shoulder.

"Okay. I can do that," she said softly, "C'mere."

Willow slowly turned in Tara's arms, and right when she was about to go in for a kiss, she received a particularly hard pinch on the butt.

"Ow!" she shrieked, reaching behind to grab her butt cheek, "What was that for?!"

"Making me think you were about to propose," Tara replied with mock-sternness, crossing her arms over her chest.

Willow rubbed the spot of the pinch a few times, but was grinning.

"I may have a messed up career plan but you can be sure that _that_ plan will be multi-faceted, highly thought out and possibly requiring a system of levers and pulleys."

She dropped her hand and took the kiss she'd been denied before.

"And it will be a surprise."

"So if I ever bring it up, I'm only further delaying it?" Tara asked, one eyebrow lifting.

Willow nodded.

"Tricky," Tara said with a lopsided smirk, "Well then, you won't hear a word about it from me. I don't even know what the word 'engaged' means. Clueless. Not a thought in my head about it."

Tara didn't mind, really. It would be nice and she was ready, but knowing it was an eventuality was enough.

Willow was ready too, but she hoped to be in a more secure place, to provide a more inviting life to ask Tara to join with hers, as she saw it.

She would need time anyway. A possibility of an engagement had been brought up a few times and Willow was absolutely determined it would be a surprise.

Tara was always one step ahead of her and this was one place where she knew she had the power. She wouldn't squander it. Tara deserved special.

"I love you, Tara," she said, leaning in so their noses bumped.

Tara slid her hands around Willow's waist, splaying her fingers out over Willow's hips.

"I love you too, Willow."

They kissed once and Willow rubbed her thumbs over Tara's eyebrows.

"How're you doing? No more headaches so far?"

"No headaches," Tara reassured, "Please don't force me back into bed. Watching TV and goofing around in bed has been fun, but I think I'm ready to venture into other areas of the apartment."

Willow considered it carefully.

"Well, okay…but you've done enough strenuous activity for the day."

"I walked across the street," Tara argued but Willow was having none of it.

"Sit your butt down."

Tara obliged and sat on the couch.

"Can we at least play a game or something? I'm all TV and movie'd out."

"Scrabble?" Willow suggested.

Tara's eyes narrowed.

"You cheat at scrabble."

"No I do not," Willow replied indignantly.

Tara shook her head.

"Beckonerous isn't a word."

"Yes it is, it's when you beckon someone onerously!" Willow replied insistently.

"Use it in a sentence," Tara challenged.

"Tara beckonerouses me when she wants me to clean out the refrigerator," Willow said, turning her nose up with her perceived victory.

Tara exhaled a frustrated breath.

"I would make just as much sense if I said that you rhinoceroses me when we cuddle."

"Are we playing or not?" Willow asked, throwing up her hands.

"If we play, we're playing dictionary rules," Tara replied with an unyielding stare.

"Fine, fine," Willow agreed and went off to find the game box, "I always play by the rules anyway."

Tara resisted rolling her eyes and cleared some space on the coffee table. Willow went to the shelf and picked out the scrabble box from between the Monopoly and Clue.

She sat cross-legged on the opposite side of the table, folded out the board and handed Tara the tile bag to choose her tiles.

Tara shook it up, laid hers out on the stand and watched Willow carefully to make sure she didn't peek while choosing her tiles.

"I'm feeling generous, so you can go first," Willow offered graciously.

"Thank you," Tara said with a hint of suspicion.

"It's only fair to give you a head start," Willow replied with a challenging grin, "Affirmative action and all that."

"That is _not_ how that works, but thanks for the insult to start the game," Tara retorted, "I don't need your pity, but I'll take the double score."

She played 'fizzle' with a smirk and Willow's face dropped.

"Nice word," she said with a hint of annoyance.

"I think that's 54 points," Tara replied, enjoying having the edge.

Willow, clearly grudgingly, marked it but quickly asserted herself by playing 'puzzle' off of Tara's 'fizzle'.

Tara was cautious with her words, trying to keep a step ahead whilst Willow played the riskier game of shorter words on premium tiles. They were neck and neck until Willow played all but one of her very last tiles.

She jumped up and balled her fists, sticking them together and rotating her arms to form a dance.

"Triple-word-score. Triple-word-score," she sang, enunciating ecstatically before dropping back down to sit on the cushion, "That's 39 points please and thank you, self."

She added her score but Tara had an eyebrow lifted challengingly.

"Are we really going to fight about this?"

"What?" Willow asked, clueless.

Tara gave Willow a 'come on' look.

"Cabotage?" she asked disbelievingly, "Is that when you sabotage someone making cabbage? No, no, wait, it's when you sabotage someone getting a cab by jumping in first."

"It's a word!" Willow protested.

Tara rolled her eyes, grabbed the dictionary and flicked open to the C's. After a few moments her cheeks flamed, she closed the book again and mumbled something.

Willow grinned smugly.

"What was that?" she asked, cupping her ear dramatically.

Tara dropped a tiny sigh.

"I'm sorry, you're right, it's a word."

"Can you say that again?" Willow asked, smirking from ear-to-ear.

"You're. Right," Tara acknowledged, able to admit when she was wrong, "And you win. I only have a 'U' left and nowhere to put it."

She held up her lonely letter and waved it about. Willow offered her palm, so Tara placed the tile in it.

Willow picked up her remaining single tile, an 'I' and added them either end of a word already played on the board – 'love'.

Tara smiled tenderly across the board and reached over for Willow's hand.

"You're so sweet when you're not being a competitive a-hole."

"Hey!" Willow objected, "That's Mrs. Competitive A-Hole to you."

"So now it's Missus again?" Tara asked impishly.

Willow waggled a finger.

"You just reset the clock."

Tara shook her head with a smile. She cleared up the game and as she was putting it away, pulled out the deck of cards.

"Has your Go Fish game improved lately?"

"It's always been stupendous, I just let you win," Willow replied haughtily.

Tara eyed her daringly.

"Prove it."

Willow grabbed the deck.

"It's on."

She slid the cards out and began to shuffle.

"Get ready to fish for your supper."

* * *

Tara pulled her boots on while sitting on the bed, zipping up either side so they snuggly held her calves.

She stood, putting her weight on her toes so they stretched the material out just enough to give her toes some extra room. She walked out into the living room and donned her slight summer jacket.

"I'm going out for a walk."

Willow looked up from her laptop, then down quickly at the pyjamas she hadn't bothered to get out of despite it being past lunchtime, then at Tara again.

"…do you want some company?"

"Could kind of use the head space," Tara replied as she flicked her hair out over the collar, "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Willow replied appreciatively, not feeling like it either, "Just take your phone in case you feel woozy."

"It's been over a week," Tara insisted, "I'm fine."

Willow fixed her with the resolve face.

"Humour me."

Tara pointedly picked up her phone and put it in her purse.

"I might be gone a little while."

"How long?" Willow asked with her brow creased.

Tara shrugged nonchalantly.

"A few hours, maybe more."

"Are you walking to Rhode Island?" Willow asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"No," Tara replied and left it at that.

"Alright," Willow replied, sensing Tara wanted to be left alone.

She had been smothering her girlfriend a _tiny_ bit for their 'vacation' and the insistence on taking it easy could be described as overbearing.

"Be home for dinner?"

Tara nodded.

"I'll call if I won't be."

"Enjoy your walk," Willow called after her, before Tara left with a wave.

Tara walked out onto the street and turned the opposite direction of the Public Gardens, her usual go-to spot for any kind of leisurely stroll. She walked straight to the T station, where she got on two trains and then a bus to a street that wasn't quite the suburbs, but wasn't the city either. It wasn't a very populated area and she was the only one to get on or off at the stop.

There was a large parking lot across the street from where the bus dropped her, and Tara walked over into it. As she was walking across it, the door of a red car opened and the young woman inside came rushing out and into Tara's arms.

"Tara."

"Hey Abby," Tara greeted softly, showing slightly more affection than she should for a charge by stroking her hair.

"Thank you, thank you for being here," Abigail gushed tearfully, then stood back, embarrassed, and shoved her hands into front pocket of her baggy hoody.

The other woman in the car opened the door and stood out. Tara approached and shook her hand.

"Hi Ms. Quickendale. How's everything going?"

"As good as it can be, I think," Abigail's foster mother replied, "Abby has my number to call me…after. I offered to go in, too, but she'd prefer just you."

"I'll be with her the whole time," Tara reassured, "Do you have the documents?"

The woman handed Tara a brown envelope.

"Thank you," Tara said, and patted the woman's shoulder, seeing her unease, "It'll be a couple of hours."

"Yes, I know," Jane nodded, "I'll stay in the neighbourhood just in case."

Tara offered something that wasn't quite a smile, but a look of understanding for the situation they were all presented with.

"It's all going to be okay, Abby," Jane said, and Abigail came around to embrace her too.

Tara appreciated how loving they seemed to be and even thought that they looked a bit alike. It wouldn't have been hard to mistake them for blood mother and daughter.

Jane kissed Abigail on the forehead, rubbed her cheeks gently and stepped back. Tara put her arm around Abigail's shoulders, gave Jane a reassuring nod and steered Abigail towards the woman's clinic.

Abigail had her eyes on the ground.

"The other social worker said you were sick."

"I'm feeling better," Tara replied easily.

Abigail stopped on the steps and turned to Tara, her young face full of undeserved vulnerability and sorrow.

"Thank you for coming."

Tara put her hands on Abigail's shoulders and brought her in closer.

"You can always trust me."

Tara had, of course, not been able to just leave Abigail's case alone after all of the emotional turmoil they'd gone through together. She'd snuck some emails off to Alice on her first full day home from the hospital while Willow was showering; asking for the appointment to be made in a specific clinic Tara had researched.

It didn't advertise its abortion services and so didn't attract the kind of objection such places sometimes did. Tara knew dealing with any aggressive protesters or hurtful words being thrown at her could derail the progress Abigail was starting to, and continuing to, make.

When Alice had slipped up and revealed Abigail had asked for Tara to be her chaperone, Tara slunk out onto the fire escape to call and beg to be allowed take her. It hadn't taken much; it was hard to argue against the wishes of a kid going through such an ordeal.

Abigail turned and put her hand on the door handle. Tara glanced over her shoulder and noticed the foster mother had only driven a few feet away. She smiled, despite the circumstances surrounding them. She knew she'd found the right family for Abigail to be in and hoped it would be something that would continue to be true.

The waiting room was a very normal waiting room with other women present, some clearly nervous, some casually flicking through magazines; some very pregnant, some not at all. Abigail looked so out of place from her age but Tara did her best to distract her from it.

Tara checked her in and handed in the various forms and court orders. The nurse behind the desk was extremely sensitive to the nature of the appointment and brought Abigail into a private treatment room right away to wait in instead of the waiting area.

She was given a gown to change into and had to have Tara help her, as she couldn't physically bear to have to look down at the small pouch of her stomach. Tara tied the gown at the back and rubbed Abigail's arms from behind.

"There you go, honey," she said, deciding this was not a situation where she had to be rigid in her professionalism.

Abigail laid down, a habit she'd gotten into as much as she could as it made her stomach feel smoother.

"I didn't think they were going to let me. I was ready to throw myself down the stairs."

Tara swallowed deeply and blinked away a tear.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through this."

A head popped through the door then, a nurse in scrubs.

"They're ready for you."

The look on Abigail's face betrayed her age as she turned to Tara, scared.

"You'll hold my hand? The whole way?"

Tara grasped Abigail's hand and held it tight.

"The whole way."

* * *

Tara sat on the T, staring blankly ahead.

To say her afternoon had been harrowing would be an understatement, but its end had brought such alleviation of anxiety for all involved.

Abigail had gone home with her foster mother with a heat pack and some painkillers, and Tara had noticed as she sat in the car, she was able to rest her hands on her stomach again with no agonising or avoidance.

Tara had found the most heart-breaking part to be in the recovery room when Abigail was eating her graham crackers and sipping her juice box, like a kid having an after-school snack.

It had also been somewhat affirming, that maybe Abigail could regain some normal sense of youth again in the future.

The procedure itself had been very clinical and the worst part for Abigail seemed to be the scan beforehand. When the doctor had announced she'd finished the procedure, Abigail's eyes had closed and Tara swore she saw the relief rise above and leave her body.

Tara knew she'd fight tooth and nail to make the trial of her parents as undisruptive for Abigail as possible, or as undisruptive as something so traumatic could possibly be. Counselling had already been arranged and could be amped up if the need arose.

Tara would work with Abigail's foster mother to start her at a new high school with the rest of the new freshman class and try to put the horrors she'd been subjected to in the past. It was as much as a fresh start as could happen.

She finally blinked when the fuzzy speaker pulled Tara from her thoughts and a stop was announced. She stood up automatically, ready to step out. She looked up as she walked out onto the street, held her face to the sun and sent a wish to the universe for bright days for Abigail from here on out.

The warmth filled her and she found herself able to smile, though her expression changed when she realised she wasn't outside her normal stop. A quick look around made her figure she'd gotten off a stop early.

She got her bearings and headed in the right direction, window shopping as she went by.

One particular department store window caught her gaze, though initially she walked past it. She retreated back when she recognised a name with a bunch of sale signs.

She decided to go inside and enquire and found a store clerk to talk her through the variants of the item, as it was totally outside of her knowledge base.

It would entirely be a gift for Willow, and an expensive one at that, but once the idea of the look on her girlfriend's face popped into her head, she found the credit card calling her name.

She reasoned that it was good timing, finding the item on sale and when she'd be getting a good income boost in a week or so to pay it all off. The overtime may have put her in hospital but the payoff could bring some happiness, especially for Willow who had borne the emotional brunt form said workload.

It may have been more responsible to put the money away to avoid overdue bills for a few months, but they'd always worked out their bills before and they would continue to do so. Willow needed a pick-me-up and Tara's pick-me-up was seeing Willow happy.

After everything, imparting some joy was exactly what she needed to boost her morale.

The sales clerk telling her it was the last one in stock was enough to convince her and she handed over the card. She was even able to get it gift-wrapped in another part of the store, before hauling the large bag the, thankfully few, blocks home.

Finally she lugged it upstairs and left it at her feet to guide inside the door as she opened it.

Willow's head popped up from sticking something in the oven and smiled warmly.

"Hey you. Pasta bake in the oven but it will be an hour," she said with a smile, "Nice walk? You sure did take those few hours."

Tara considered it carefully. She wasn't trying to hide anything, but she had been on the job and wasn't comfortable revealing too much. It was possible the trial could make the news in the future.

It was also a very heavy topic and she was determined to focus on joy.

"Necessary," she said eventually.

Willow thought that was a bit of a funny word.

"You okay?"

Tara smiled softly. Real joy was coming home from any kind of tough day to Willow.

"Yeah, I am."

Willow walked around to peck Tara's cheek and noticed the large bag.

"What's that?"

Tara took the large, gift-wrapped box out and set it on the table.

"Are we going to a birthday party?" Willow asked, confused, "And who do we like enough to give them something this big?"

Tara pushed it towards Willow shyly.

"It's for you."

"For me?" Willow asked, brow creasing with a smile, "Why did you get me something?"

"You deserve something nice, just for you," Tara explained.

Willow was touched and tugged the box towards her to unwrap.

She didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't a new Xbox.

"Holy shit."

"I hope it's the right one," Tara said, biting the corner of her lip nervously, "The guy in the store said it had the hard drive and headset and an extra controller… and some other technical stuff I didn't understand, but I'm sure it's on the box."

Willow stared at her gift in shock, then shared the look with her girlfriend.

"Tara, it's amazing. I-I can't believe it, it's so generous. But it's so much money."

Tara shrugged one shoulder.

"There was a deal on and I have overtime pay coming in."

"We're overdue on bills," Willow said somewhat guiltily.

"Only by a couple of days. They'll get paid next week, just like they were always going to be," Tara replied, then took Willow's hand and held her fingers, "For once I had enough to get you something you would really use and love. If it makes me irresponsible…then screw it, I'm responsible for every other 364 days of the year. Something good might as well come out of all of this."

Willow could only keep her elation back for so long.

"I'm so excited to start playing! Thank you, thank you!"

Tara was more than pleased.

"I'm not big into some of those violent games, but I hear these things are actually really good for your memory and cognitive skills and all sorts of things. And fun, of course."

"I don't play violent ones, really," Willow replied with a shrug, "I play whatever Brian wants to play."

Tara picked up a bundle of cases from the end of the bag.

"I had no idea what you liked to play, but the guy at the store recommended some classic ones, he said. You can return them if you don't like them."

Willow took the games giddily.

"Sonic, Tomb Raider, Crash Bandicoot – hey, Harry Potter! These are great! Thank you so much."

She threw herself around Tara, who closed the hug happily.

"You're very welcome."

Willow squeezed Tara, practically lifting her, then tore into the box to get the machine out and set it up.

"Wireless controllers…so cool!"

She turned and offered one to Tara.

"Wanna play with me?"

Tara came and sat on the floor with Willow. She took the controller and had a good look at it.

"I've never even picked one of these up," she said, holding it the same way Willow was, "I saw people playing them in study group sometimes."

Willow shook her head.

"Your study groups sound like frat parties."

"That's why I left," Tara replied, stretching her legs out, "So what do I do?"

"I think we should play Sonic. It's the easiest and we can do two-player."

"Is that the hedgehog guy?" Tara asked, "I think I actually recognised him."

"Uh huh!" Willow replied and crawled over to put in the game before returning to sit with Tara, "You sure you're okay? You look a little worn out."

Tara leaned over and pressed a kiss to Willow's cheek.

"Fine now I'm home with you."

Willow nuzzled and returned the kiss, then lifted her controller challengingly.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?"

Tara grinned.

"Bring it."

Willow started the game and had a blast running the course, but Tara was pretty blindly trying to move about. It didn't take long for her to set her controller down.

"Willow, I suck at this."

Willow paused the game and smiled over.

"You're actually doing pretty well for a first timer."

Tara held her hands up.

"I don't think video games are my forte," she said, then dropped her hands into her lap, "Helping kids is. I'm ready to go back to work."

Willow put her controller down too and took Tara's hand instead.

"I've really enjoyed just spending time with you."

Tara brought Willow's hand up and kissed the back of it.

"And I've loved every moment with you. I won't ever bring work home again, and I'll have to learn to take a step back. It'll be hard, but I will. I owe it to you, and myself. And the kids. I do good work. I need to be able for it."

A real smile blossomed on Willow's face.

"I'm so happy to hear you say that. And acknowledge yourself. It's a big deal. I'm proud of you."

Tara nodded in appreciation.

"I'll definitely take my vacation days from now on. Maybe a long weekend here and there to make the most of it."

Willow seemed relieved to hear that.

"That'd be good. That'd be great."

They leaned in and met in the middle for a soft, tender kiss. Each lingered and stole a few more pecks before separating again, smiling.

Tara offered Willow her controller.

"I give up. Show me your cool moves."

Willow chuckled.

"You're the only person the world who thinks I'm cool."

She looked at Tara with utter adoration.

"But that's okay. Because you're the only person in the world that matters."


	29. Chapter 29

**Clauxx** – I'm glad you enjoyed it :) Good things happened all around!

* * *

 _Won't be around next week because I'm going on vacation tomorrow, but should be back the week after :)_

* * *

Willow sat on the floor in the apartment, with an Xbox controller held firmly in both hands.

Every so often her hands had momentary separation from the device so she could swig some afternoon beer or crunch a few potato chips into her mouth. Mostly they were snatched and scoffed quickly, to avoid too much time away from the controller.

Brian was sitting on the other side of the bowl of chips, engaging Willow in the game of Halo 3 he'd brought over on his way home from his shift at work. It was on his way and saved Willow the transport costs of getting to Brian's place, so they'd shifted their gaming sessions to Willow and Tara's place and Brian just brought some games along to play on Willow's console.

They were both focused on the screen, but had been chatting throughout too.

"Been seeing any girls?" Willow asked.

"I have no time for that kind of stuff between work and school," Brian replied, somewhat shyly, "It takes too much time and emotion."

"No flings?" Willow asked chirpily.

Brian just shook his head, a short and embarrassed shake.

"I don't really do flings."

Willow nodded.

"I get that. I wasn't either. Tara was always my one and only."

Brian smiled; his attitude to relationships and personal dislike of one night stands was usually a source of teasing amongst his other friends. He appreciated someone who would not only refrain from making jibes, but who understood as well.

"You guys are pretty sweet together," he said, then clarified with a scrunched nose, "I don't mean that in a surfer bro 'sweeeet' kind of way."

Willow looked at him with an arched eyebrow and Brian made a motion with one hand.

"You know what I mean…Californians."

Willow smirked.

"Did I ever mention I'm from California?"

Brian's eyes went wide, but Willow reprieved him with a smile.

"It's okay, I get what you mean. Luckily I never encountered too many surfer dudes in my time there."

Brian was blushing and his eyes bored into his on-screen actions to distract himself from his embarrassment.

"Do you go back?" he asked, with a slight crack in his voice betraying his discomfort about his faux-pas.

Willow just shook her head.

"My parents weren't on board with the lady lovin'."

Brian's face softly creased and he lowered his controller to offer Willow the genuine solemnity he felt.

"I'm so sorry."

Willow shrugged a shoulder.

"We weren't ever super close so it wasn't the biggest blow…once I got a new family in the form of Tara, that hole was pretty much filled."

Brian got as close to a salacious look on his face as he would ever get and Willow fixed him with a scandalized look.

"You perve!"

Brian was shocked; both at himself and that he'd been caught out. His lower lip trembled as he fought for some excuse.

"I…I…"

Willow finally laughed and threw a potato chip in her mouth.

"You and Becky must get on great."

Brian's smile softened and there was a hint of a wistful look in his eye.

"She's a really nice girl."

"Yeah, once you get to know her," Willow agreed with a nod, "Tara took a little while to warm, but they're besties now. Don't tell her I'm playing this game by the way, she can be sensitive about violence."

Brian shook his head.

"This isn't violent…really. Not compared to other games."

"Like I said, sensitive," Willow replied, then jumped up when she saw an enemy come onto screen and aggressively pressed buttons on the controller, "Die, die, die!"

She pumped the air victoriously when it died, then had to scramble to drop down and pause the game when she heard the rustling of the key in the door.

She put her finger to her lips to signal a shush motion and Brian gave a conspiratorial smirk and nod.

Tara came through the door with a plastic bag swinging off her wrist and had warm smiles for them both as she strode across to make her way over to the kitchen.

"Hi you guys."

"Hi baby," Willow greeted.

"Hi Tara," Brian added, returning the smile, though shyer.

"Having fun?" Tara asked, making a nod towards the screen without paying too much attention to it, "I royally sucked when I tried to play that hedgehog game with Willow. Now I let her play and cheer her on."

Brian nodded.

"Yeah, we were having fun," he replied and grinned at Willow with the back of his head to Tara, "Lots of peaceful fun."

Willow shot him the evil eye but Tara was busy taking out the fresh fruit and vegetables she'd bought on the way home to notice the exchange.

"I hope you didn't ruin your appetites with those chips."

"Sorry, baby, I lost track of time," Willow replied quickly, happy for a change in subject, "I meant to have dinner ready for you."

Tara dismissed her with a hand wave.

"It's okay, you've cooked all week. Do you want to stay for dinner, Brian?"

Brian stood up and dusted himself off.

"I better go. I have an assignment to work on. It's so tempting to call in here after work now that Willow has the Xbox. I always end up scribbling the last hundred words and practically drinking some ramen to get food into me."

"How's the master's going?" Tara enquired, popping a grape into her mouth as she set them into the fruit bowl.

Brian made a so-so motion with his hands.

"It's hard but it's good. There's so few jobs out there, I really had no choice but to try and give myself more of an edge."

Tara nodded along, then pointed the tip of the knife in his direction. She'd become quite fond of Brian in the time they'd spend together, after their initial unsureness. She found his humour quite like Willow's and his easy-going nature quite relatable.

"We never did that poker night we talked about."

Willow suddenly popped up excitedly.

"Hey! Brian and I were talking about Halloween earlier…what if we threw a poker themed Halloween party! Just the gang so it's not really expensive. Beer and chips. Potato and poker variety."

"Sure, why not?" Tara replied, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "Maybe we could pick up a proper kit cheap online?"

"You can borrow mine," Brian offered.

"Great, thank you," Tara replied sincerely, then rooted in the fridge for a moment and produced a Tupperware container for him, "Here, take this leftover lasagne. It was only cooked last night. Three minutes in the microwave."

"Take it, she'll be offended if you don't let her take care of you," Willow replied, her tongue poking out between her teeth.

Brian was blushing slightly but accepted the container.

"That's really kind, thank you."

He put his jacket back on, said his goodbyes and left with his game and dinner tucked under his arm. Willow closed the door behind him, and turned back around to Tara, the wheels already clearing turning in her mind.

"Well now I know what my next unemployed project is – cracking out a super Halloween party!"

"If anyone can, it's you," Tara encouraged.

A big smile broke out on Willow's face.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Tara looked up for a moment to smile over.

"I really love seeing you have some social life."

"So Brian gets the thumbs up now?" Willow asked hopefully.

Tara lifted her hands and gave two thumbs up. Willow lifted herself on the balls of her feet happily.

"Great. I know I pick odd friends but they're always good in the end!"

"Does that include me?" Tara asked as she brought some spinach under the kitchen tap to wash.

Willow grinned.

"You'd have to be a little bit strange to be attracted to me."

Tara's eyebrow flicked upwards, accompanied by a playful smirk.

"I must be the strangest gal in the country."

Willow absolutely beamed and quickly joined Tara in the kitchen.

"Let me help. I took chicken out but I hadn't contemplated what to do with it yet."

"Let's keep it easy," Tara suggested, "Garlic chicken with some greens and mashed potato."

Willow nodded, then turned Tara to her and pulled her into a hug.

"I didn't give you one of these."

Tara turned her head into Willow's neck and inhaled softly.

"All I want. All I need."

They embraced for a moment, met for a kiss, then Tara turned back to continue preparing their dinner.

"Tell me about all these poker party ideas you have. I know that mind has started whirring…"

Willow's eyes flashed with excitement.

"Whizzing and whirring and humming and buzzing…you just wait and see the monster list I make for this!"

* * *

Tara peered at a picture Willow had on the screen of her laptop and compared it to Willow's face.

The laptop was sitting in the bed, right beside Willow, and Tara was standing in front applying copious lipstick to Willow's mouth and surrounding face.

The lipstick was becoming blunt and flaky as she continued to use it.

"I think this is the end of this lipstick."

"Sorry, I couldn't find red face paint," Willow said apologetically, already with heaps of white face paint all over her face and deeply black eyes, "Much obliged, Queen of my Heart."

Tara paused and adopted a dramatically stern look on her face.

"It's Queen of ALL Hearts. Get my name right or it will be off with your head!"

Tara twirled in her black and white poofy dress that she'd sewn felt hearts onto and had added a short black jacket, fishnet stockings and an up-do to finish her costume for her portrayal of the Queen of Hearts. Willow, as The Joker, completed their card-themed tag team couples ensemble for their poker night. Much thought and preparation had been put into their outfits and the evening.

"Not a chance," Willow scoffed, though it was terrifying with the Joker smile Tara had painted on her, "You'd miss it too much."

Tara stood back and held the handheld mirror in front of Willow's face.

"Enough red?"

Willow did her best scowl into the mirror, then looked up with a smile and nodded.

"Thank you! I'm almost done!"

She jumped up and dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Tara went into the living room to arrange the snacks and get the table ready for them to play, for whenever their friends arrived.

There was a general black and red theme, with a few special decorations Willow had researched and put together thoroughly but cheaply to suit their budget.

She had two sets of sixteen white balloons, blown up and carefully stuck together in a rectangle shape to resemble a life-size playing card, with one black balloon in each corner of one and one red balloon in each corner of the other. A cut out heart on red cardboard and cut out spade shape on black sat in the middle to identify them clearly.

It had taken about a hundred balloons to get the finished effect and many jumps of terror as they burst, but Willow had been quite proud when they were completed; it coming as close to art as she'd ever accomplished.

She'd also strung a deck of cards along some string and hung it from the ceiling with falls, like a streamer. As well, she'd used the felt covering meant for the table-top, etched with card markings, to make a feature wall behind the table where they were set to play.

Alongside chips and beer, and a promise for pizza as the night progressed, Tara had decorated cookies to look like poker chips and they'd made strawberry vodka Jell-O shots with blueberries suspended in them to complete the look.

Tara noticed the life size cards swaying a bit and closed the window to stop them from falling over.

There was a knock on the door as she was gently stabilising them, and she took a minute to make sure they were okay before answering.

Alice was on the other side, wearing a tan-coloured adult onesie with black spots, with the hood up and pointed ears on top. She extended a bottle of red wine towards Tara.

"Happy Halloween!"

Tara let her in, but peered after her in confusion.

"Did you leave your costume to the last second?"

"I'm a cheetah," Alice proclaimed proudly, in a full Bostonian accent to emphasise her gag, "Get it? Cheater?"

Tara silently snorted.

"The night is already off to a wild _cat_ start," she quipped as she walked into the kitchen to open the wine, "Nice play on the accent. Willow will appreciate it."

Willow appeared from the bathroom, her hair a metallic green from emptying the contents of a can of hair spray on it. Tara gave her the thumbs up that she'd pulled off the Joker look perfectly and Willow smiled shyly back, then gave Alice the same look Tara had.

"What will I appreciate?"

Alice opened her mouth, but Willow jumped on the spot before words came out.

"Wait!" she said, grinning from ear to ear to have worked out the pun, "You're a cheater!"

"That's what I said, I'm a cheetah!" Alice retorted in her near-perfect accent.

Willow threw her head back with laughter, though it was far creepier than intended with her costume.

"Wicked cool," she said, offering Alice the thumbs up too.

"Thanks, Joker," Alice replied with a wink, nodding in appreciation to Tara as she returned with a glass of wine for her, "And to you, your highness. Great costumes. And this place looks great. Where'd you get all the decorations?"

"Willow made them," Tara replied proudly.

"I got the idea off the internet, I didn't make them up," Willow replied bashfully, "Not like I've much else to do."

"Well I'm impressed," Alice replied cordially and lifted her glass in a salute.

She took a seat on one couch and Willow sat opposite. Tara joined her moments later with a glass of wine for herself and a cold beer for Willow.

They all chatted together for a short space of time until there was a second knock at the door and Willow answered it to Becky and Brian, who had shared a cab over.

Becky was dressed as a generic vampire and Brian had a sheet over himself with two eye holes cut out, though he had drawn different suites of cards and poker chips on it too.

"Boo!" he said as he jumped over the threshold.

Willow's eyebrow arched.

"Who're you supposed to be? Casper the cardy ghost?"

Brian wiggled his fingers 'spookily'.

"I'm the pokergeist," he said in a ghostly voice.

Becky rolled her eyes behind him, and the other three all groaned. Brian threw his hands up.

"Come on! That's funny!"

Becky clapped a hand over Brian's shoulder from behind.

"Sorry dude. Cringe city."

Willow closed the door behind them and turned to Becky.

"What's your excuse?"

Becky suddenly grabbed Willow, swooped her down and made a motion as if to bite her neck.

"I vant to suck your bank accounts dry," she said in her best Transylvanian accent before releasing Willow and making a theatrical jump away, "And avoid the high stakes."

Willow wiped at her neck and scrunched her nose in Tara's direction as she passed to get the new guests drinks.

"We have the punniest friends," she said mockingly, "And sorry, but there'll be no sucking tonight."

Becky smirked.

"Speak for yourself. I have an after party to go to."

A bottle cap suddenly flew through the air as Willow's hand slipped popping it off.

"Of the bank accounts!" she clarified, eyes wide, "Money! We're not playing for money! Jeez!"

"No fun," Becky replied and sat at a chair at the table so she could cross her legs at the knee, which were well below the hemline of her skirt, "But I have no money to lose anyway, so for the best."

"None of us do," Alice added in.

"Winner gets the first slice of pizza!" Willow announced, shoving bottles of beer at both Becky and Brian, then going back to hide in Tara's shoulder.

"I can get behind them odds," Becky replied, taking a long glug from the beer, "Only thing better than a cold one in the hand is a hot one in the–"

"Cookie!" Willow interjected loudly and jumped up to find the plate, "Tara made us special cookies. We should try them."

Becky leaned forward, intrigued.

"'Special' cookies? I thought once was enough for you."

Willow was turning red and getting quite flustered.

"Not _special_ cookies. Just…just cookies! With chocolate chips and frosting and they look like poker chips and please shove one in your gob now okay?"

She all but shovelled one into Becky's mouth and then offered the rest around.

Tara brought up a new conversational piece by discussing a Halloween party she'd been at, at a group home that day and all of the children's creative costumes.

That detoured the conversation onto their own childhood Halloween memories and everyone relaxed with their first drink to listen and share.

When refill time came about, everyone gathered around the table and Tara produced the tray of shots. Becky excitedly grabbed the first one.

"Jell-O shots. Now it's a party!"

They all toasted their plastic cups and took the shot before finding seats around the table.

"Texas Hold 'Em all 'round?" Becky asked, flicking the cards between her hands and shuffling them.

Alice nervously scooted her chair inwards.

"Am I the only one who has no idea how to play?"

Willow shook her head.

"I read the rules but I'm in virgin territory with you."

"Maybe we could buddy up as one?" Alice suggested.

Becky eyed her, narrowly.

"She's trying to be a cheetah already!"

"I think we should let them play together," Tara intervened with a smile for her colleague and girlfriend.

"Whatever the Queen says," Brian added with a playfully obedient smile.

Willow moved a chair around to sit by Alice and Becky started to deal them out. Brian split each denomination of the chips into four equal piles and they each threw in a 50 chip to get things going.

Everyone discreetly peered at their cards and they all called. Becky dealt the first community cards and Brian accidentally smiled at his hand.

"What have you got Mr Green?" Becky asked upon seeing it, "What's your middle name anyway?"

Brian mumbled something, then eventually sighed.

"Ignatius."

"Ignatius?" Becky asked through a snort.

"It's a family name," Brian replied awkwardly.

Becky pursed her lips to stop from laughing but she didn't succeed.

"Wait, your initials are B-I-G?"

She winked at him.

"Hello Mr. Big."

Brian blushed and immediately, reluctantly, folded.

Willow kicked Becky under the table to stop teasing Brian and then had a hushed discussion with Alice about whether they would call or not. Eventually they did, as did Tara and Becky.

The next card was laid out and Tara bowed out. Willow was pumped up in the excitement of the game, so she raised. Becky, a born competitor, called it.

She threw in the chip and showed her hand.

"Flush."

Willow had to think for a moment, then got even more excited.

"Ha!" she said, revealing her cards, "Full House!"

She smugly gathered the chips in.

"I remembered that one because of the TV show."

Tara smirked.

"Willow had a crush on D.J."

Willow looked up, wide-eyed.

"Tara!"

Tara stuck out her tongue and Willow returned the gesture.

"Ladies, flirt in your own time," Becky said as she set up the next round, "There's pizza on the line here. Anywhere around here do one of those jumbo pies?"

"I'm not sure," Tara replied with a shrug, "We've never gotten one."

Becky flicked her head in a nod.

"Google it."

Tara glanced over to her girlfriend.

"Willow, can you check on your phone? Mine doesn't do the internet thing."

"You don't have a smartphone?" Brian asked in disbelief, "What do you do it bed?"

All four women stared at Brian with arched eyebrows, and he almost disappeared behind his blush.

"She reads," Willow answered wryly as she tapped on her phone, "How many inches do you want?"

Willow received the next set of stares and she pushed her phone away, embarrassed.

"Oh, screw it! We're getting normal pizza! Somebody deal."

Over a couple of hours, they played their hands, alternating who was the dealer. Willow was pretty impressed with how well Tara played and admired her growing pile of poker chips.

Brian and Becky were decent players too, though Brian seemed to have extra luck on his side that night. He and Tara had the biggest pots, followed surprisingly by Willow and Alice, which frustrated Becky greatly.

Tara offered to give up her prize to Becky, as she had the biggest pot at that point and that, along with another Jell-O shot, seemed to placate her. Willow offered to order the pizza, but as she reached for her phone, some cards slid out of her sleeve.

Becky gasped and stood to point dramatically at both her and Alice.

"Lie! Cheat! Steal! A plague on both your houses!"

Brian shook his head, smirking.

"She lured you in with her cheetah ways."

Willow snatched her arm back and held her sleeve close to her.

"It was your own lousy faults for taking a beer break and leaving the table and us with the temptation!"

Alice turned around to shake her butt and the tail coming out of it.

"Never trust a crafty cat."

"Everybody calm down," Tara said in a stately manner, "Willow and Alice can forfeit their pot if they would like to continue to play."

Willow pouted but agreed and they all took another break to go to the bathroom, order the pizza and get new drinks. The table was manned this time and everyone had to empty pockets and shake sleeves before sitting back down.

Pizza arrived and they all ate from paper plates as they resumed the game.

After another stretch, by which point people were getting to the tipsy point of not being able to play properly, the last round was down to Tara and Willow, since Alice still had little clue what was going on.

"Raise you 50," Willow said, throwing in yet another chip and eyeing Tara defiantly.

"Raise you 100," Tara countered and Willow's smile almost faltered.

She had a lousy hand but she considered herself the master of the bluff and she thought she could outsmart her girlfriend.

Willow had one single 100 chip left, and she knew Tara had challenged her with that on purpose. But she liked a challenge.

"Call," she said, lifting her chin confidently, "Whatcha' got?"

Tara turned her hand over.

"Three of a kind."

Willow's brow creased and Tara wiggled her fingers towards the cards.

"Show 'em."

Willow tossed her cards and grumbled.

"What was that?" Tara asked, grinning.

"Pair of sixes," she repeated grumpily.

"You raised twice on a pair of sixes?" Becky asked in disbelief.

Willow kicked the leg of the table.

"I thought she was bluffing!"

Tara blew a kiss across the table.

"I know your tell, Willow Rosenberg, just like I know everything else about you."

Willow couldn't help a little smile, but still tried to appear sulky. Everyone disbanded for another toilet break, as the alcohol swam through their bloodstreams and landed in their bladders.

Tara poured herself a glass of water to counteract all the wine and Willow came in to have a moment with her in the kitchen.

Willow put her arms around Tara's waist and pulled them close.

"How did you know my tell?" she asked in her sweetest voice.

Tara rubbed her thumb over Willow's lips and spoke quietly.

"Because you get the same look on your face when you're horny. I know that little nose wiggle means you think you're onto something."

She plugged Willow's nose affectionately, who scrunched it up in delight.

"Am I in for a happy Halloween?"

Tara leaned in and offered a slow kiss.

"Play your cards right and you just might be."


	30. Chapter 30

**FivebyFive89** – Glad you got a laugh!

 **Slupton** – I hope your college load has eased up in the past few weeks!

* * *

 **I'm so sorry for the delay – I was away, then my computer broke down and I lost work and it was all a mess. Hoping to be back uninterrupted from now on!  
**

* * *

Tara tapped the last button to turn her work computer off and spun her chair around to stand.

She donned her jacket and buttoned it up to protect herself from the blustering winds outside. She was one of the only ones left in the office, and was about to join her colleagues in leaving it behind for a few days to enjoy the holidays.

She put her phone in one pocket and her T pass card in the other so she wouldn't have to expose her hands for longer than necessary on her journey home. Finally, her computer screen went blank and she made her way out of the office for the well-needed break.

Her foot was on the threshold when Alice came rushing around, all in a fluster.

"Tara. Thank god I caught you."

Tara glanced down and saw Alice was holding one of the 'on call' cell phones, which were the direct line for the after-hours service.

She tensed.

She hoped she wasn't about to be asked what she thought she was about to be asked.

"I'm not rostered on for Christmas."

Alice looked both apologetic and desperate.

"Someone bailed, they're snowed in. I'm in a bind."

Tara's face flickered with frustration.

"I took Thanksgiving. I was in the hospital the whole time and only got about 20 minutes with Willow the whole weekend."

Alice put her hands together in a prayer pose.

"It's 2IC, so you'll only be called in if there's overflow. I have to have everyone confirmed before I leave and I'm getting on a flight to Minnesota in an hour. We're doing Christmas in Duluth with my brother and it's the last flight out. Please, you'll be doing me a huge favour."

Tara sighed and shoved the second phone in her pocket.

"Someone has to do it."

Alice hugged Tara gratefully.

"Thank you."

"Have a nice time with your family," Tara said, managing to just about keep the grumble out of her voice, "Happy Holidays."

"Are you coming to my New Year's party?" Alice asked kindly, "I was a convert after your party last year. Never had one before, thought I'd throw my hat in the ring."

"Guess that depends on if I'll be working," Tara replied, a little clipped.

"I promise I won't schedule you for New Year's," Alice said, still apologetic in her tone, "And I can give you an extra vacation day."

Tara considered it.

"Is that in lieu of overtime pay?"

Alice shook her head.

"No, it's a non-official 'I'll cover your ass if you cover mine' kind of offer."

"It would be nice to have an extra day free," Tara admitted.

Alice squeezed Tara's shoulder.

"You are a lifesaver," she said, then embraced Tara again, "Enjoy your Christmas and I'll see you next week."

Tara gave a pursed lips smile and headed out before anything else was landed on her.

She kept her head down as she walked out into the blistering cold, flecks of slushy snow hitting her face and getting in her eye.

The streets were pretty in the darkness with twinkling lights and that festive spirit hanging in the air. The cold, however, detracted from all of it and Tara barely looked up between her office and the T station.

The station was more crowded than an airport on Christmas Eve and Tara was stuck standing around for twenty minutes before they made the announcement that a lot of lines were discontinued because of ice.

There was a collective groan, louder than the would-be rumble of the train that wasn't showing up and people starting pulling out phones to check bus timetables or hail cabs.

Tara walked out and rounded the corner to the bus stop, but once she saw the mass of people gathering around it, she just continued walking past. A cab would cost a fortune in this bumper-to-bumper traffic and they were broke anyway. She'd appreciate the salary bump in the new year with the holiday overtime, even if she was silently cursing Alice's name under her breath still.

With little other option, she began a careful trek home, watching her feet with every move to ensure she didn't go flying across the ice.

It was a messy and at times precarious trip, with wheels skidding past her and endless beeping of horns by frustrated drivers. She was close to flipping some of them off as they drove past her with no consideration of stoplights or her right of way.

Finally she turned the corner onto her street and saw the sweet snow-covered steps leading up to the building.

Her boots made heavy prints in the snow as she ascended them and she shook herself off before slipping inside the building.

The heat rushed at her red cheeks and made her get that freeze-burn feeling. She patted them a few times as she made her way up to the second floor and got some feeling back.

Her key went in the door and was delighted to feel the apartment even warmer from whatever Willow was cooking in the oven.

"God, It's like a Beijing traffic jam out there."

"There you are!" Willow said from the kitchen, lifting her phone and waving it around, "I've been calling!"

Tara took her cell phone out of her pocket and noticed the missed calls.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear it. The winds are howling," she apologised, "The T is shut down, I had to walk."

"Jesus," Willow replied, coming over and shutting the door behind Tara, "Come in, you must be freezing."

Tara emptied her pockets and started to take her jacket off, but Willow picked up the work phone immediately.

"And what is this?" she asked accusingly, before her face turned angry when she saw the contrite look on Tara's face, "You did Thanksgiving!"

Tara hung her jacket up, rubbed her hands together for warmth, then took Willow's hands in hers.

"I'm sorry, honey. There was no choice. But I'm getting another day off instead, so…"

She pressed herself close to Willow and eyed her seductively.

"We can have a long weekend sometime…just the two of us…with no reason to go to sleep…"

Willow's cheeks flamed to match Tara's cold ones and plenty of very warming images played through her mind. She leaned in and kissed Tara's icy lips but had to pull away for fear they'd stick together like a tongue to a frozen pole.

She put the work phone back down on the table and sighed.

"I know it's not your fault. Just…blah. You're getting paid, right?"

Tara nodded.

"Holiday pay. Time and a half."

"Well that'll set off our new year right," Willow conceded.

Tara smiled.

"My thoughts exactly."

Willow brushed her fingers against Tara's cheek, which sent a shiver down her spine.

"That cheek is like ice. I'm running you a hot bath."

"For two?" Tara asked invitingly.

Willow grinned and winked.

"If you're lucky."

"It can be my Christmas gift," Tara suggested.

Willow offered her hand to Tara to lead the way.

"Trust me, the gift is all mine."

They giggled their way into the bathroom and got undressed while the tub filled.

Willow got in first and Tara sat in opposite, hissing slightly as the warm water so radically consumed her frozen skin. She settled her legs, scooted her butt until she was comfortable, then relaxed back.

"Now this is heaven."

She reached up and took her hair down, letting fall past her shoulders, just above the water line. Willow's hips squirmed beneath.

"Hey, are you trying to turn me on?"

Tara folded her arms behind her head, alluringly.

"Might be."

Willow couldn't help but notice Tara's chest pop up.

"You're very good at it."

Tara just smirked, then leaned her head back and inhaled softly from the warm air, which had a sweetness to it.

"You know there's a really nice smell around. Did you light a Christmas candle?"

Willow shook her head.

"I'm cooking gingerbread."

Tara's eyebrow arched.

"Wow. You are?"

"Don't sound _so_ surprised," Willow replied good-naturedly, then turned shy, "I actually thought maybe we could make a house together. I bought gum drops and mini marshmallows and liquorice and peppermints and all kinds of stuff to decorate."

Tara smiled softly.

"I'd love to make a gingerbread house with you. That's such a sweet idea."

Willow returned the smile.

"At least we'll get to do one festive thing together," she lamented with a soft sigh, "And we did get Hanukkah."

Tara lifted her foot and used her big toe to draw circles on Willow's chest. She sent a sultry smirk across the tub.

"Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel…"

Willow's cheeks flushed some more.

"You seem warmed up."

Tara pushed her back off the bath and started to crawl over to Willow.

She pushed her face up closed to Willow, her eyes falling between Willow's eyes and her lips.

"Very."

Willow started to close the gap, but as their lips were on the verge of touching, the timer started going off in the kitchen.

Willow's nose scrunched.

"Hold that thought?"

Tara lounged back with a sigh.

"You torture me, Willow Rosenberg."

"But I do it out of love," Willow replied as she hopped out.

Tara watched Willow's butt shimmy into a robe, then held her breath and dunked herself under the water to refresh herself. She decided to wash her hair while it was wet and then joined Willow five minutes later in her robe.

Willow was organising the candies and frosting and smiled over when Tara appeared.

"Good timing. I need your steady artist's hand."

Tara's sash was loosely tied and Willow got an eyeful as she sat down.

"Um, I…um…" she stumbled, before blinking repeatedly and sitting down too, while clearing her throat, "I have baked ziti in the oven. Was just waiting for the gingerbread to cook."

"I love, love, love your baked ziti," Tara gushed.

Willow smiled. She was turning into a moderately okay cook, she thought.

"All the down time has some benefits."

Tara scooted her chair closer.

"We should use the white frosting to form the house, so it looks like snow on the house."

"Yes!" Willow replied eagerly, "And the peppermints for the windows and door and gumdrops for the roof. Then we can line the ground with mini marshmallows to be pillow-y snow and I have some green frosting to have the grass be poking through."

"You've thought this through," Tara complimented, "And I have no doubt this gingerbread shapes have been formed with perfect geometric equation so as fit together, as your lovely brain dictates."

Their shoulders rubbed together.

"You're sweeter than pi," Willow replied, grinning, "Geddit?"

Tara shook her head with a smile and held up the first two sides of the house for Willow to paste together with the frosting. They laughed as they continued building it, tossing candies into each other's mouths and dabbing one another's cheeks and noses with the frosting.

Tara smeared some frosting all over Willow's lips, then caught her cheeks and pulled her in to kiss it all off.

Willow giggled against Tara's lips and gave her an Eskimo kiss. Tara licked the excess frosting from her own lips that had transferred.

"I like playing house with you."

Willow smiled, then went into the kitchen and quickly returned with two gingerbread people, one with blue dabs of frosting for eyes and one with green.

"Hey, look, look," she said as she brought them over and made them 'play' in the gingerbread yard, "I made gingerbread us-es!"

Tara watched them for a moment, then leaned over and bit the green-eyed cookie's head off.

Willow's mouth dropped and she gaped at her girlfriend in shock.

"You ate my head!"

"You're delicious," Tara said as she swallowed.

"Oh you be careful, I'll eat you up!" Willow threatened playfully.

Tara's eyebrow rose challengingly, while her lips quirked sideways.

"Come and get me." 

* * *

Tara woke naturally for the first time in a while; uninterrupted by cell phones, alarms or snoring.

She immediately made a grab for her cell, anticipating a torrent of missed calls and a mess to tidy up. She found it fully charged, working functionally and without a single message or alert.

She very carefully put it down lest it suddenly bombard her with a torrent of communications, took in the time flashing on the clock and the fact she got so much interrupted sleep, and cast her eyes towards the sleeping Willow beside her.

She reached up and brushed some hair off Willow's cheek, then tickled it lightly with her finger. Willow's eyes flickered open and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, then her head fell towards Tara. She smiled.

Tara returned it.

"Hey gorgeous."

"Hey yourself," Willow greeted back sleepily, her long lashes slowly blinking over her eyelids, "Hey…did we cuddle all night?"

Tara nodded.

"It was very nice."

"You didn't get call–" Willow started but Tara silenced her with a finger against her lips.

"Don't jinx it."

Willow's eyes widened and she nodded solemnly. Tara leaned in to press a long smooch against Willow's cheek while putting an arm around her waist and snuggling in.

"Merry Christmas."

Willow stroked the arm around her waist.

"And to you. Looks like it's snowing again."

They looked out the window together and watched the flakes fall, though it seemed less aggressive than the blizzard like conditions of the few days previous.

Tara inhaled a breath of the warm air, grateful not to be out in that snow again, and sat up to stretch.

"Why don't I make us some hot chocolate and we can do presents by our little tree."

Willow watched Tara's pyjama top ride up and expose her back. She resisted brushing her hand against that bump at the base of her girlfriend's spine and cast her eyes upwards to Tara, who was looking over her shoulder at her.

"…that sounds lovely."

Tara just shot Willow an 'I know what you were doing' smirk and shuffled off the bed to head out into the kitchen.

Willow rolled onto the other side of the bed and inhaled softly from Tara's pillow as she luxuriously stretched. When she was ready, she swung her legs over the bed, pulled her comfy robe over her body and padded out of the bedroom in her fluffiest socks.

She heard the spurting sound of an aerosol can and approached Tara in the kitchen eagerly.

"Do I hear whipped cream?"

Tara held the can at Willow's mouth and squirted some in. While Willow was swallowing it all, Tara shot some onto her nose and kissed it off.

Willow giggled and stuck her tongue out to try and reach an errant bit of white on the end of her nose.

Tara added some cream to their steaming mugs, put the can back in the fridge and offered Willow her hot chocolate. They made their way into the living space by their mini-tree Tara had picked up their first Christmas together and sat on the floor, opposite each other with their legs stretched out.

Willow held her mug in both hands and inhaled the steam.

"SuperTara'sMagicChristmasMadeByDrinkingSwissMiss," she sang, off-key, then continued humming as she took a warming sip, "This is yummy."

Tara dragged a present from under the tree and passed it over.

"If it's 'yummy' you're into…"

Willow held the heavy gift in her hand and looked at it peculiarly. She ripped it open and her eyes grew wide when she saw the five pound gummy bear.

"Oh my god!" she said as she freed it from its packaging and began nibbling on its ear, "Amazing! Thank you!"

She tore the ear clean off and used her foot to nudge the other gift under the tree towards Tara.

"Open yours, open yours."

Tara picked out the bulky, square gift from under the tree, feeling its softness beneath the wrapping paper.

Willow watched intently as Tara peeled back the wrapping, hoping it would be well-received.

She'd been scouring those discount voucher sites in her quest to get Tara something nice and nabbed a deal to create the personalised gift.

Tara finally freed the contents and revealed a cushion embossed with pictures of them on the front and back. Tara's smile lit up her whole face.

"It's a Willow-pillow!"

"You're in there too," Willow replied sheepishly.

Tara hugged the cushion to herself, then launched herself at Willow, kissing and hugging her and only narrowly missing making Willow spill her hot chocolate.

"I love it so much. Thank you."

Willow put her mug down and closed her arms around Tara.

"I'm so glad you like it."

"I _love_ it," Tara clarified precisely.

She leaned in, swooping in for a smooch with her hands splayed on Willow's thighs.

Willow placed her hands delicately either side of Tara's face, gently pulling her closer.

Tara pushed her tongue against Willow's teeth, then retracted it teasingly the moment it entered her girlfriend's mouth. She felt Willow pull at her cheeks again, but she just sat back, holding her pillow to her chest. She smiled down at it happily, then transferred her smile to Willow.

"I'm going to have a shower."

"Okay…" Willow replied, trying not to show her disappointment.

Tara stood and left her gift down on the couch, in a prominent display. She took two steps towards the bathroom, then looked back over her shoulder at Willow.

"Are you going to join me?" she asked expectantly.

Willow grinned, jumped up and all but shoved Tara into the bathroom.

"The bathroom is becoming my favourite room in the apartment!"

She turned the water on to give it a moment to heat up whilst they speedily undressed.

Willow pressed her front to Tara's back as they climbed into the shower, locked together.

Tara tilted her head back under the spray and Willow took advantage, softly nuzzling her nose into her girlfriend's parting.

"How do you smell so good when you haven't even washed your hair yet?"

Her hands curved around Tara's hips, fingers splaying over the prominent bone and lightly teasing the corners of her mound.

Tara placed her palms over Willow's hands, holding them in that spot. Her hips squirmed slightly, pushing her butt back into Willow, who pressed forwards insistently.

After a few moments, Willow took some shower gel in her hands and did Tara the great service of washing her breasts for her. Tara lathered her own hair with shampoo, then took some soap too and turned to get her hands around Willow's ass.

It happened quickly and Willow jumped in surprise, but was soon grinning and turned her head in to capture Tara's lips.

Suds rushed past their faces as the shampoo was stripped from Tara's hair, finally replaced again with just the clear, warm water.

Tara was getting nice, full handfuls of Willow's butt and a nice, deep tasting of her tongue. Her knees had just begun to bend in a crouch, when a faint but painfully disruptive and annoying ringing trickled through the shower curtain and into her ears.

Willow knew the ringtone well and stepped away from Tara, though not without a sigh.

"Bathus interruptus yet again."

Tara was less courteous about it all and rolled her eyes violently.

"I knew it was too good to be true."

She placed her hands over Willow's shoulders and squeezed softly.

"I'm sorry, honey."

"I understand," Willow said without verbal complaint, though with an unmistakable exhalation of frustration, "Work is work."

Tara pecked Willow's lips apologetically and stepped out of the shower.

Willow washed her hair without much enthusiasm and opted not to dawdle or enjoy a long shower now the fun had been taken away.

She turned off the water, stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself and walked into the bedroom.

Tara was standing by the closet, buttoning up a shirt with her cell phone caught between her ear and her shoulder, clearly frustrated.

"We're at zero. We don't have anyone that can come out."

Tara got a pained look on her face as she listened to whoever was on the other end and she physically moved her head against the wall and gently banged her forehead.

She straightened back up, resigned.

"Okay, look. I can come down. Yes, alright. Goodbye."

Tara hung up the call, shook the phone and dramatically dropped onto the bed to pull her boots on.

"I have to go out to the suburbs, I'm sorry. They're a carer down and we've exhausted all of our fall-backs."

Willow was acquiescent and just nodded.

"How are you going to get there?"

"I'll have to go to the office and get the car," she said, puffing out a breath, "So I'll have to open up the office, start up my computer, log the car out, find the keys wherever they are in the front desk, close up, find the car and drive out there."

"At least get a cab to the office. Don't walk in this cold again," Willow said with concern, "I'll call one so you don't have to roam the streets."

Tara blew Willow a kiss, who accepted it with a smile, despite being disappointed about their day being cut so short.

Tara gathered her things and donned a jacket before approaching Willow to give her a kiss goodbye.

"I'm so sorry."

Willow waved a hand.

"Forget about it. I'm still looking forward to that night of no sleep."

Tara offered a promising, sly wink, embraced Willow quickly and went downstairs to wait for the cab.

Though snowy, the streets were relatively clear and she got to the office without too much delay. There was the odd light shining from a window outside the building, as other companies with workaholic employees spent their holiday labouring away.

She had the key ready for the front doors of the DCFS offices and opened up silently, seemingly the only person on that particular floor. Her computer took an age to start up, so she made and drank a cup of coffee as she waited.

The caffeine stimulated her brain and she suddenly got an idea.

She took her phone out and dialled home.

Willow picked up after two rings and Tara forwent any pleasantries.

"You were background checked before starting at the senior centre, weren't you?"

Willow sat on the couch, an eyebrow arched.

"Yes…"

"Do you want to come with me?" Tara proposed, "You don't have to, but if you want to…"

"Of course I want to come, can I?" Willow asked, excited to have a second chance to spend the day with Tara, "I'll bring them the gingerbread house!"

"That's so sweet, I'm sure they'll love it," Tara replied happily, "Okay, I'll collect you in fifteen."

She hung up and found herself less frustrated with her slow computer. She just hummed to herself as she waited. She made quick work of registering Willow on the volunteer's list with clearance from the relevant agency and approval from a social worker; her.

She found the car keys easily, in a little box on the front desk and locked the office up again. In the elevator, she met a weary-looking man in a shirt and loose tie, carrying a large coffee.

"No rest for the wicked, eh?" he commented tiredly.

"I'll need to start being bad if I'm going to be punished like I am," Tara replied jokingly.

The man eyed her with more interest than before.

"I could spare 10 minutes…"

"Sorry," Tara said, clearing her throat and staring ahead, "I'm in a relationship."

"Come on, nobody who works on Christmas has a boyfriend," the man objected.

"Just a very understanding girlfriend," Tara replied, grateful when the elevator doors opened and she could step out, "Happy holidays."

The man grumbled and Tara sighed.

"Can't even joke anymore without the creeps coming out," she muttered, before finding her way around the large parking lot to the state car.

She sat in, adjusted the seat from the last person in it and locked the doors just to be on the safe side. She pumped up the heating, checked the fuel gage and got a pleasant surprise to see the last person had filled it up.

She turned the radio on and hummed to Christmas tunes as she drove back to their street. She'd planned to call Willow when she arrived, but Willow was already waiting on the steps.

Tara unlocked the car and Willow jumped in, rubbing her hands together.

"Toasty in here. Wish we could afford a car," she said and joined Tara in the humming, "Jingle-bell, jingle-bell, jingle-bell rock!"

She strapped in and held the gingerbread house very carefully on her lap.

"Watch the pot holes, chauffeur."

"Yes, m'lady," Tara answered diligently, carefully pulling off the curb.

"So what should I expect?" Willow asked with a hint of nervousness to her voice.

"Just stick with me and don't do anything you're not expressly told to do," Tara advised easily, "We'll just be doing things like supervising play outside, getting everyone to sit down to eat. No specialised care or anything like that..."

"I think I can handle that," Willow replied with a slow nod "You're not going to get in trouble from bringing me, are you?"

Tara shook her head.

"No, we've had last minute chaperone changes and stuff before. It's just a matter of registering your name and you're cleared automatically if your name is in the database for background checks. It's already done and dusted. At least we'll be able to see each other this way."

Willow reached over and briefly squeezed Tara's hand on the wheel.

"I'll take that over a lonesome day in the apartment any day."

They shared a smile and Tara turned off for the exit out of the city.

When they got to the group home, the noise could be heard from outside and Willow got an apprehensive look on her face. Tara rubbed her back for a moment, then rang the doorbell.

A male carer answered and the noise increased tenfold and he did seem rattled by it, which was unusual. He seemed relieved to see them, or Tara at least.

"Tara, thanks for helping us out."

Tara just nodded that it was okay, and gestured towards Willow.

"I brought a volunteer. She's not a professional, so volunteer status only."

"She cleared?" the man asked and Tara nodded, "We'll take all the help we can get."

He welcomed them in and brought them into the living space where 15 kids were running around, varying in ages from 5 to 16.

Everyone stopped when they saw the gingerbread house, then just launched themselves at it, grabbing at it and shoving whatever they got in their mouths.

Willow was left moments later with a shell of the house and the occasional lonesome mini-marshmallow, falling along the base like tumbleweed.

"Jesus," she said, then cleared her throat after a look from the carer in the room, "I mean, um…Jeez."

"Get used to it, sweetheart," Tara whispered into her ear with a grin, "Here, if you don't eat fast, you don't eat."

"Right," Willow nodded, blinking a few times, "Got it."

She hung back while Tara was debriefed and watched how all the children interacted. There was lots of pulling and stealing, but also camaraderie and a gentleness towards the very young kids.

It broke Willow's heart a little to think this was their home but she knew she had to snap out of that if she was going to get through the day.

Tara came back to her after a minute.

"Like I thought, we're just needed to supervise so the carers can get on with the specialised care. Can you handle that?"

Willow nodded surely.

"You bet."

She abandoned the stand for the now-demolished gingerbread house into the trash, while Tara gathered the masses.

"Who wants to go outside and play on the sleds?"

Everyone made a scramble for the door, but Tara was quick to demand order.

"Make a line, no skipping!"

There was a chest outside with the outdoor toys and Willow stood to hand out the sleds while Tara supervised the rides.

"Who're you?" a suspicious eight year old boy with hair as red as Willow's asked.

"I'm Willow," Willow said, offering a warm smile.

"You have a funny name," he said bluntly.

Willow nodded, not taking offence.

"I know. Who're you?"

"Brayden," the boy answered.

"Here you go Brayden," Willow replied, handing out the sled and jumping the gun by introducing herself first to the next little girl, "Hi, I'm Willow."

Most of the kids were used to people coming and going, so they paid Willow little attention, until a snowball fight broke out and Willow became chief coordinator of the attack against the grown-ups.

Tara took a few to the back in order to give Willow status amongst the kids and Willow shot her an 'I'll make it up to you later' wink.

Lunch was crazy and chaotic affair with people, adults and children, running about, things getting thrown and general loud chatter.

Willow ate two, dry, biscuits and three sliced carrots as quickly as Tara managed to put them on her plate, shooting her an appreciative look for even getting that much. She was entirely grateful her girlfriend was there to rein everyone in and stop fights before they started, because she was completely overwhelmed.

She knew this wasn't a regular aspect of Tara's job, but also that Tara did help out when she could as well. She made a note to offer extra foot rubs anytime Tara told her she came home from a day at the group homes again.

The afternoon ended up quieting down as a lot of kids had hours out or supervised visits with family. There ended up being just one young girl, no older than six, left with apparently no one to go to and no one who came.

She had blonde hair, bright eyes and was cute as a button.

She liked playing princesses and Willow felt so awful to think she had no one in the world that she happily let her tie her hair up in lots of ponytails and make her face up like a clown with the little make up kit she'd gotten as her Christmas gift.

Tara smiled as she approached and knelt down beside Willow.

"They've quietened down, don't need our help anymore."

Willow looked at the little girl holding her make up like an artist's palette and back to Tara.

"Can we stay until she goes to bed?"

Tara was touched that Willow wanted to.

"Of course we can."

Willow smiled gratefully and looked back to the girl.

"Layla, have you met Queen Tara?"

Layla regarded Tara carefully, then put her hands on her hips.

"She's notta kween!"

"Oh yes she is," Willow replied theatrically, "She rules the Queendom of Willowdonia and has special authority in the Heartshire Territory. Her name even means queen in an ancient language."

Layla's big eyes cast over Tara, then she toddled off and returned with a plastic crown, which she placed on Tara's head.

"Thank you, princess," Tara replied regally, "And who do we have here, the crown jester?"

Layla didn't understand but still giggled. Tara cast an authoritative hand over the scene.

"Dance for us, jester!"

Layla jumped up, laughing and clapping her hands.

"Dwance, dwance!"

Willow shot Tara a sarcastic 'thank very much' look and stood up. She did her Snoopy Dance, as it was Christmas after all, and Layla lapped it up.

They played in the Queendom of Willowdonia until little Layla was all tuckered out and only able from a story from her big book of Fairytales. She fell asleep on the couch, sucking her thumb and one of the carers came to bring her up to bed.

She thanked them quietly for the help and disappeared out of the room, carrying the little girl. Willow was glad she went to sleep happy and also glad to be able to get out of there before the manic rush of kids came back.

She pulled the passenger side door of the car closed behind her as she sat in and huffed out an exhausted breath as she pulled her hair free.

"Well. That was…wild."

Tara was more used to the chaos and didn't seem as worn out as she drove out of the driveway.

"Our holidays keep getting turned upside down. Last Thanksgiving at the senior centre, this year I was working, now Christmas here. I'm glad we have that extra day coming up."

Willow bobbed her head along, but her mind was still on the experience of the day.

"It's…crazy there. Batshit crazy. But those kids…" she stopped and smiled, "Makes me look forward to our own family someday. Makes that desire…really real."

Tara grinned.

"If you still want kids after dealing with that, then nothing will stop us."

Willow turned her head to meet Tara's eye.

"I do," she said softly, "I want us to be a family. I want…the whole shebang. I want to make that happen."

Tara returned the look and when they came to a halt at a stoplight a few moments later, they met in the middle for a tender kiss.

The drive home was icier than the morning, and Tara decided to keep the car for the night because it was late and cold and she was sick of spending money on cabs for late-night call outs that would take weeks to be reimbursed.

She made them up a snack of flatbreads cut into Christmas tree shapes, spread with guacamole and topped with diced tomatoes, as their dinner had been very grab-and-go.

Willow laughed when she saw it.

"Cute. They look like they'll go perfect with A Wonderful Life."

"Our traditional first holiday movie," Tara replied softly, remembering, "We haven't watched it all season."

Willow smiled.

"Let's rectify that now."

They cuddled up on the couch with their snacks, a glass of wine after the long day and began the movie.

When it was over, Tara went to have a bath and take care of some general night time ablutions that she'd been neglecting with her busy schedule. She loved standing in a steamy bathroom, running a comb through her hair and lotioning up every inch of her skin.

She walked back into the bedroom in a towel and saw Willow emptying her pockets into a jar she'd put in the corner with a homemade label saying 'coins'.

"The bedroom isn't the best place for a swear jar," Tara commented with a sideways grin, "We'll have to empty our wallets every time we have sex."

Willow smiled over her shoulder.

"Not for swearing, but I'll take a little profanity-laden Tara any day."

Tara untucked her towel and sat on the bed, back against the headboard and legs stretched out in front.

"Why don't you come over here and see what you can get out of my mouth?"

Willow's eyebrows rose, she turned, and grinned wildly when she saw Tara how she was. She climbed into Tara's lap and pressed their faces close together.

Tara grabbed Willow's ass through her pants and squeezed. She pretended to nip at Willow's bottom lip before finally pulling it between her teeth.

She watched Willow's eyes grow aroused and flipped her quick as a flash. Willow landed with a bounce and Tara hovered over her, slowly pressing her body into Willow's. She teased Willow's breath into short gasps, then really made her body known in a grind.

Willow whimpered.

Tara smirked.

"Merry Fucking Christmas."


	31. Chapter 31

**FivebyFive89** – She's so demure most of the time, I love to have her be a little bit naughty :D

 **Slupton** – I would choose love of a job over glamour or anything else any day! I wish you lots of luck as you progress :)

* * *

Tara adjusted the bottle of sparkling wine in her arm so she could knock on the door of Alice's apartment.

Willow fidgeted beside her, rocking her tongue from side to side in front of her teeth like a metronome.

"Do I have something in my teeth?"

Tara did a thorough check, seeing nothing but softly sparkling whites.

"No, they look fine."

Willow closed her mouth, frowning.

"I feel like I have something in my teeth."

"It's probably sugar from all the Coke you were drinking earlier," Tara commented.

"I brushed!" Willow protested, but quietened as the door began to open.

Alice greeted them with a warm smile.

"Willow, Tara! Come in!"

Her red dress swished behind her as she stood aside to let them in. Willow was careful not to stand on the trails, while Tara offered the bottle she was holding.

"Oh thank you," Alice replied kindly, while shutting the door again, "Actually, I have something for you."

Willow looked around the room and took a step back. She'd never been to Alice's apartment before and was pretty impressed. It was very open plan with lots of room for people to stand and sit, all of whom looked very elegant. That part wasn't as comforting.

"Okay, everyone looks ten times fancier than us," she whispered, but frowned even more when she realised Tara actually was quite sharply dressed in her little black dress, in contrast to Willow's black slacks and purple blouse, "Well…me anyway."

Tara turned and pressed a quick kiss to Willow's cheek.

"You look lovely."

Willow smiled gratefully, if not totally convincingly, and linked her fingers in with Tara. At least her shirt matched the colour of the necklace Tara had chosen to wear. She'd stick close by so she seemed like she blended in better.

She did her usual food check like she did every time she entered a party or function-like event and noticed lots of canapés. She'd have to do a few fly-bys so as not to seem like a greedy pig, but she didn't mind. It gave her something to do at a party where she didn't know many people.

Alice returned holding an envelope, which she passed over to Tara.

"For your birthday and for covering for me over Christmas. I know it was crazy."

Tara turned the envelope over and pulled out a gift card for a boutique hotel downtown, spa treatments and dinner included. She looked back to Alice, surprised.

"Oh, wow. This is too much."

"No it isn't. You worked your ass off," Willow interjected, taking the envelope to take a look, "Let's go for our anniversary. Take that day off you were promised…"

Alice smiled and offered a sly wink.

"Just let me know a few days in advance."

Tara cleared her throat and gave Alice an appreciative look.

"Thank you so much, this is very generous."

Alice squeezed Tara's shoulder kindly.

"I'll make sure your overtime pay is sorted quickly," she promised, then fell back into hostess mode, "Can I get you a drink?"

"I'll have a red wine if you have it," Tara requested, determined not to mix her drinks, unlike last year.

"Me too," Willow added, wanting to add some elegance to herself that she didn't think a beer would pull off, "Please."

Alice nodded and went off to get them a glass. Tara took the gift card back from Willow and tucked it into her purse.

"Willow, that was rude."

"How was it rude?" Willow asked, eyebrow arching, "Stop underplaying your value or people will take advantage. Besides, it's for your birthday too. You got her nice perfume for hers."

Alice returned with two full glasses of red wine, timely stopping a bickering before it could get going.

"Tara, I want you to meet my friend Sarah. She just became Head of Nursing over at St. Elizabeth's so it's good to make the introduction."

Willow shot a look at Tara's back as she was abandoned but dropped it after a moment when she realised it was fruitless. She looked around awkwardly once, then moved off to go and give the canapés the once-over.

There was smoked salmon and asparagus wrapped in parma ham and lots of other decadent delights that weren't entirely to Willow's taste. She was able to nab a few mini-cheesecake bites though, which were quite delicious.

After a few minutes, Tara returned and sampled a crab parcel.

"These are yum."

"Thanks a lot," Willow replied sullenly, "I wish Brian or Becky was here. Stupid other parties they had to go to."

Tara sighed.

"Mingling is good for your social skills."

"My soak-ill skills are fineb!" Willow said through a mouthful, then swallowed and looked sheepish when a fleck of pastry landed on Tara's dress, "Point taken."

Tara looked around the room, spotted someone she knew it the corner and discreetly pointed him out to Willow.

"That is Matt. He's a carer and a gentle giant. I once heard him talk to the kids about some person named Bill Nye—"

"THE SCIENCE GUY?" Willow asked excitedly that someone else even knew of her childhood hero.

"That's the one," Tara confirmed, then brought Willow over to him, "Hi Matt."

Matt nodded his head in a friendly greeting.

"Hey, Tara. Good to see you."

Tara gestured towards Willow.

"This is my girlfriend, Willow. She's feeling out of the loop."

Willow's eyes bore into Tara for betraying her, but instead Matt seemed to relax and smile even more.

"Thank god I'm not the only one. I've been sucking in my stomach and tying my top button every time someone comes close," he said, popping his button open again, "I'm no good at these things."

Willow relaxed too.

"I'm fine if I have lots of alcohol…but there's no way I'm getting drunk in this crowd. I feel as out of place as an electron in a nucleus."

"Science!" Matt exclaimed, and they both started laughing.

Tara slowly inched away when she saw Willow had assimilated into the conversation.

Tara got talking to a guy that turned out to be a college ex of Alice's that she apparently had maintained a friendship with. They had quite an engaging conversation about books and their favourite authors. Tara could see why Alice had remained friends with him; he was polite, charming and interesting.

On her way back from refreshing their drinks, Alice skid past her, whispering in her ear as she did so.

"Heads-up, Avery just asked me to put in a good word with you."

Tara paused, watching Alice leave and felt like Willow had earlier. Abandoned and stuck in awkward position. She decided not to leave Willow like that again.

She considered her approach for a few moments, then sat back on the seat and handed the glass of wine over to Avery while retaining her own.

"It's nice to talk to someone who reads the things I do," she said, trying to seem conspicuous as she nodded in Willow's direction, "My girlfriend is big into the science fiction and fantasy."

Avery followed Tara's eyeline and spent a moment processing what she said.

"Right," he said, deflating for a moment, before finally just smiling again, "Yeah, it is. Sometimes these parties can be all small talk. Nice to meet a like mind. Hey, what do you think about the whispers of that King novel becoming a TV show?"

Tara smiled back, appreciating that he still wanted to talk to her and relaxed into her seat.

More time passed until Alice stood in the middle of the room and got everyone's attention to announce party games were about to begin. Willow slunk over to Tara with raised eyebrows.

"Party games? There's a surprise. I thought I'd been transported into The Great Gatsby for a while there."

"The Great Gatsby, now there's a book," Avery interjected, "'No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart'."

Willow grinned at him.

"You'd like my friend Becky."

"Well, hey, give her my number," Avery replied, and winked, "'It takes two to make an accident'."

She handed her phone to him to put his number in, while Alice went around with a book of post-its and a pen and asked everyone to write a celebrity.

"Celebrity," Willow whispered as she noted the names being stuck onto people's heads, "I've never played celebrity."

Tara ended up in a team with Avery and Willow with the women next to her, who didn't even offer her name when they were teamed up, so Willow didn't either.

People went around the room in their teams, trying to guess their celebrities in as little guesses as possible. Most were the celebrities of the moment, with the occasional Joan of Arc or Albert Einstein thrown in there by those Willow could tell were the pretentious lot of the group. Willow unusually hoped she got someone like that but hoped it didn't make her pretentious too.

Avery guessed his first celebrity, Mark Twain in three clues – author, moustache, Tom Sawyer. He high-fived Tara, and they went again until it was time to switch. He grinned when a name was planted on Tara's forehead.

He stretched out his fingers like he was about to get to work and leaned in conspiringly, getting straight to the point with a more theatrical clue than others had offered in their games.

"Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

"Harper Lee," Tara replied graciously.

Avery leaned in and hugged Tara triumphantly, while someone else called out from the crowd.

"Who picked the boring ones?"

There was a giggle around the room and Avery threw his eyes to heaven in Tara's direction.

Willow was next up to guess and got her celebrity on her forehead. She looked at her teammate, who smirked and looked off happily.

"Rugged. Slick dark hair. Beautiful green eyes, deep like the ocean."

When Willow was silent the woman seemed mildly annoyed, but went with more specific clues.

"Actor. Race car driver. Father, husband…" she tried, "People's second sexiest man alive. Twice."

Willow was blank and the woman felt the pressure of the sand timer and people beginning to make 'tick tock' noises.

"Seattle Grace! Grey's Anatomy! Merder!"

Willow's eyes were wide with cluelessness and the woman's hands were frantic trying to impart the name.

"McDreamy!"

Someone made a buzzer sound to indicate the time had run out. Willow was baffled.

"Who the hell is McDreamy and why do you want to murder him?"

The woman furtively swiped at her phone and pulled up a picture of Patrick Dempsey, which she shoved in Willow's face.

Willow reeled back from it so she could actually see.

"Oh. Isn't he the guy from Enchanted?"

The woman puffed out a breath and if it had been possible, steam would be coming out of her ears. Willow didn't know why she was getting all bent out of shape for a game, but decided she'd do her best to help her win the next round.

Her intention was short lived as she took in the name presented on the lady's forehead.

"…I don't know who that is."

The woman snatched the post-it from her forehead, looked at it, then glared at Willow incredulously.

"Do you not live on Earth? How do you not know who Patrick Dempsey or Eric Dane are?"

"A woman who doesn't care about McDreamy or McSteamy," some guy called out, "Wanna marry me?"

There were more laughs and Alice looked like she was losing control of the crowd.

"Okay, okay. Let's move onto something more fun!"

She pulled out a wicker basket that seemed to be filled with blown-up balloons. She picked one out and shook it, revealing something rattling inside.

"You have to pass this around with your mouths and try not to pop it. If you do, there's a saucy question inside you have to answer."

There were 'oohs' and 'aahs' around the room as people gathered in more of a circle shape.

Alice started and passed the balloon off to the next person successfully. It only lasted two people before it snapped, causing fright and laughter all around. The questioned were expected, but still caused some blushing. Some were vague like 'boobs or ass?' and some more specific like 'where's the naughtiest place you've ever had sex?'

Willow and Tara got through two passed each successfully, but on the third try they both inadvertently tried the same technique of biting at the tie. Willow's teeth pressed too far in and it burst, causing their lips to smush together from proximity.

There were cheers and they both parted, blushing, though Willow turned her head in to whisper quietly in Tara's ear.

"Do you think they know we're already a couple?"

"Don't ruin their fun," Tara whispered back, giving Willow a knowing grin.

"What's your question?" was shouted out and Willow had a look around for the piece of paper.

She unfolded it and turned it right side up to read.

"What's the most intimate thing you've ever done?"

Her cheeks reddened and she shrugged one shoulder, embarrassed.

"Talk. Share. Open up."

A snort kicked off a whole bunch of laughter, which made Willow flame even more.

"Leave her alone," Matt interjected, asserting himself loudly despite being uncomfortable about it.

"Where's the next balloon?" Avery asked, trying to help out.

Tara shot them both grateful looks, but when she looked back noticed Willow was gone. Alice ushered the next balloon around while looking at Tara apologetically and making a 'drinking' motion with her hand.

Tara knew people were obviously drunk this close to midnight but still didn't forgive them for humiliating her girlfriend. She went off to find Willow and found her curled up by the linen closet, ripping the piece of paper into a hundred pieces.

Tara sat with her and put an arm around her shoulders. Willow didn't object and leaned her head in against Tara.

"I thought these people were sophisticated. They're just as immature as any college party we went to."

"We never went to a college party," Tara replied softly.

Willow couldn't help a small smile.

"Well. We went to parties while attending college. That counts."

Tara rubbed Willow's arm.

"I loved your answer."

Willow looked up and met Tara's eye.

"You did?"

Tara laid her palm flat against Willow's heart.

"I don't want to be with you because I know what you feel like inside. I want to be with you because I know what you look like in here."

Willow held Tara's hand on her chest, squeezing it gently.

"At least I didn't babble for once."

"I love your big mouth," Tara replied with a grin, which softened, "And your big heart."

They cuddled together while the sound of more bursting balloons rang out from the living room. After a few minutes, there were sounds of bustling about and then shouts of people ringing in the countdown.

Willow and Tara didn't move from the spot, content to be alone for it. They kissed while the rest cheered.

"Happy New Year," Tara said softly.

"Happy Birthday," Willow returned in the same tone.

Tara tucked a piece of Willow's hair behind her ear affectionately.

"I hope your year brings great things."

Willow leaned into Tara's touch and gazed at her adoringly.

"It's already brought me the greatest."

Tara leaned in and kissed Willow again, but they were disturbed this time by a woman stepping over them to get to the bathroom. They pulled away with a mutual blush.

"Wanna get out of here?" Tara asked.

"We don't have to leave if you don't want," Willow replied, more cheerful again, "I shouldn't have sulked off."

Tara glanced out into the party but it wasn't very enticing to her. She'd enjoyed the earlier part of the evening but there was a point where inebriation took over and left a sour taste in the mouth of those sober, or relatively so.

"I think we're at max capacity for dealing with drunkenness, what do you think?"

Willow smiled sheepishly.

"I think I want to get into my jammies and have a hot chocolate."

Tara smiled and offered her hand. They stood up together and went to find Alice, who was hiding out in the kitchen re-filling her wine glass.

"Hey, Alice," Tara greeted warmly, "Thanks so much for inviting us. We're going to head home."

Alice looked at them apologetically.

"I'm sorry things got out of hand."

"Oh, no, it's fine, honestly," Tara replied with a wave of her hand, "Party games, we get it."

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Willow added with a shrug, "We just don't feel like getting too wasted tonight."

Alice nodded gratefully and leaned back against the counter, clearly slightly frazzled.

"I think I invited a few too many people. Didn't quite intend for it to get so rowdy."

"Let people have a few more drinks, then suggest you all go out to get pizza," Willow proposed, "You'll clear the place quick."

Alice smiled wryly.

"Good advice."

Willow smiled back, shyly.

"Lived with Becky. I'm the master of drunken manipulation."

Alice took in a soft breath and prepared herself to re-enter the party. She offered them both a hug on the way.

"Well I'll see you both soon. Tara, I'll see you in work and Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," Tara replied appreciatively.

"Thanks Alice," Willow added in, popping up her hand in a wave.

They got their jackets and purses and said quick goodbyes to Matt and Avery and thank them for their chivalry earlier.

Once out on the street, it became quickly obvious that the city was taken over by New Year's shenanigans. Empty and broken bottles were strewn around the place and people were stumbling around and eating messily on the street, despite it being quite a residential area.

"No way will we get a cab," Tara commented, thinking even if one chanced driving by the chaos, someone else would already have nabbed it.

"Guess we're walking," Willow replied, tying her jacket tighter.

Tara linked her arm with Willow's.

"Stay close to me."

Luckily Alice didn't live on the totally opposite side of town, but there was still 1.5 miles between their place and her place in South End. A nice stroll on a sunny day, but a bit of an obstacle course in the wee hours of New Year's Day.

Willow huddled close to Tara and they walked briskly though the well-lit streets.

As they passed a bar with lots of activity outside, someone flung themselves at them, but to their relief it was just Becky, albeit a very drunk one.

"It's my looovvveeebirrrrdsssssss!"

"Hey, Beck," Willow greeted cautiously, unsure if Becky would throw up from the sudden movement, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Becky," Tara added in an antsy tone, then turned to Willow, "Are you okay if I run into the bathroom? I should've gone in Alice's before we left."

Willow looked around at her surroundings and decided she was safe enough but didn't want to be dragged into having a drink with Becky.

"Just…hurry."

Tara nodded, then quickly disappeared into the bar. Willow shoved her hands in her pockets and shuffled closer to Becky.

"I thought you were at a party downtown."

"Barrr crawwwllll," Becky replied, swigging from her wine cooler, "You should-"

"I have a guy's number for you," Willow interrupted quickly.

Becky looked intrigued.

"Is he hot?"

Willow had no idea. Becky had a very broad 'type' that included just about anyone with a six pack, and Willow hadn't gotten close enough to know that.

"Um…his name is Avery?" she offered.

Becky considered that seriously, then nodded.

"I can work with that."

Willow took her phone out and forwarded on the number, just as Tara bustled past people and returned to them.

"Come on, let's go."

"Okay," Willow said, and Tara was pulling her away before she had a chance to say anything else.

"Byyyyeee!" Becky shouted after them cheerily, "Hey, Happy Birthday! It's her birthday!"

She started a clap and Tara was serenaded down the street, off-key by a bunch of drunk strangers.

Willow thought it was hilarious and oddly sweet, but Tara didn't seem so impressed.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked.

Tara kept her eyes on the ground.

"Some guy grabbed my ass."

Willow spun around with deadly eyes towards the bar, which was disappearing in sight.

"WHAT!?"

Tara tugged on Willow's sleeve.

"Forget about it. Please."

Willow continued walking, but not without a stern crease in her brow.

"Stupid drunk jerks. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted out of there," Tara replied, though could still see the anger in Willow's eyes.

She took Willow's hand and put it on her butt, rubbing it on the spot.

"Now you reclaimed me."

Willow couldn't help but smile.

"It wasn't about that."

"I know, I was just trying to make you smile," Tara replied, her own lips quirking on one side, "I don't want hot chocolate with a side of grump."

Willow smiled more and bumped her shoulder against Tara's.

The last few blocks home were thankfully uneventful and both were relieved to walk into their warm apartment and let their cold hands and faces absorb the heat in the air from the heater timer Tara had thoughtfully put on before they left.

"So toasty," Willow commented, very grateful to be able to duck out of her dress and into warm pyjamas without freezing in between.

Tara chose sweats and an old t-shirt and just threw her party clothes in the hamper before heading into the kitchen, as she was chief hot chocolate maker in the house.

She warmed the milk and added all of her special ingredients while Willow turned on the latter half of New Year's Rockin' Eve.

Tara brought over their two biggest mugs, topped with whipped cream, crushed Oreo and mini marshmallows. Willow took her mug between both hands and inhaled the steam with a satisfied smile.

"I'm only with you for the cocoa, you know."

She took her first luxurious sip, letting the warm liquid slide down her throat and of course, leaving a blob of cream on her nose.

Tara took her place beside Willow on the couch, folding her legs beneath her. She looked at Willow alluringly.

"You're too sexy to me to care."

Willow started to have a smug look on her face, then her peripheral vision caught the cream on her nose and she wiped at it sheepishly. She closed her mouth around the biggest bit of cream in her mug, so she could continue sipping without embarrassment.

She felt Tara's arm stretch around her shoulders and cuddled in contentedly.

"We have no plans for your birthday."

Tara shrugged.

"We don't need plans. I'm just happy to have the day with you."

"We can laze in bed in the morning," Willow suggested.

Tara nodded.

"We can and we will."

Willow cast her eyes sidelong towards Tara.

"…and be not so lazy."

Tara smirked.

"We can…"

She gave Willow the bedroom eyes full of promise that made them both eager to go to bed, just to wake up again.

"…and we will."

Willow leaned in and pressed kisses to Tara's neck.

"That sounds like a plan to me."

Tara turned her head and kissed Willow's lips.

"This is how every year should always end… and start. And all the stuff in the middle."

Willow smiled.

"You read my mind."

She looked at Tara for a moment and cupped her cheek softly.

"You're all I want in the world."

Tara pressed her cheek into Willow's hand. She kissed her girlfriend's palm.

"Honey…"

She inhaled softly and enjoyed returning Willow's gaze. It was an intimate a moment as any could be and she felt it as deeply in her heart as any other feeling Willow could physically invoke in her.

"I love you so much."

Willow leaned in to press their foreheads together.

"I love you, Tara."

They cuddled together again; as always, happier to be in each other's arms than anywhere else.


	32. Chapter 32

**FivebyFive89** – Willow did get a Tara-hug out of it though, so it wasn't all bad!

* * *

Tara swung one leg over the other as she tried to get comfortable on the little stool she was sitting on.

The stool was in a fitting room in a department store downtown and she'd been sitting there for several minutes watching Willow try things on. Willow was currently buttoning up one of the many shirts hanging up waiting for her to sample.

Willow fixed the collar on the green blouse settling over her frame and stood sideways at the mirror to check herself out.

"Remind me why we're shopping for me on _your_ birthday?"

Tara looked at Willow with that withering affectionate look she reserved just for her girlfriend.

"Because _you_ need some new shirts and there's a sale on," she replied, reaching out to smooth a corner on the hem of the shirt, "Your boobs look great in that."

Willow patted her chest, pleased.

"They do?"

Tara grabbed Willow's hips, which were eye-level with her face and pulled her close.

"Mmhhmm. Wonder how easy it is to rip off?"

Willow giggled and pulled herself away.

"I'm gonna keep needing new shirts if you keep ripping them off."

"Small price to pay," Tara replied with a crooked grin.

"Until we can't afford our electric bill," Willow replied wryly.

She tried on a new, black shirt, which she thought looked nice with her jeans.

"What do you think of this one?"

Tara nodded appreciatively.

"Tight. Yummy."

Willow put her hands loosely on her hips.

"Sometimes being a great girlfriend interferes with your ability to be a regular old clothes-appraising girl."

Tara sat up straighter on the stool.

"Okay, taking the girlfriend goggles off."

She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head as she made Willow do a turn. She finally nodded.

"It's very smart. Well-fitting. Good for interviews."

"Well, good, because my year of online recruitment was a massive failure so I'm moving on to pounding the streets," Willow replied firmly, "New Year's resolution!"

"You know I've got your back, baby," Tara reassured sweetly, but couldn't help eye Willow as she stood there in her bra, "And I'll happily take your front if it's on offer."

Willow put a finger against Tara's lips.

"You're gonna get us kicked out of here," she whispered, grinning as she threw on the t-shirt she'd worn in, "Why are you so frisky today?"

"I can't be frisky on my birthday?" Tara asked, hooking her fingers into Willow's belt loop.

Willow leaned down and pressed her lips to Tara's.

"Yes, but hold the thought until we're not in the very accessible cramped space," she said, pecking Tara again and pulling herself out of her girlfriend's grip, "Come on, I have enough options here."

Tara followed Willow out of the fitting room, carrying both their purses. She spotted a few men in the same position as her as she passed by, though they didn't seem as pleased to be bag handlers. She gave them sympathetic looks and took a grateful moment to herself that she actually enjoyed experiencing all aspects of life with another woman.

She waited on Willow while she went through the checkout.

She had a smile for her girlfriend when she came back from the register and Willow returned it just as brightly. Willow linked Tara's arm with hers and brought them out the door while her shopping bag hung off her other wrist.

"I'm so happy we got a nice day. Cold but sunny and none of that ice I've fallen on my ass on at least six times."

"I've enjoyed kissing it better," Tara replied, giving Willow a small hip bump.

Willow blushed and hid her face for a moment, but couldn't help showing off her smile to Tara. Tara leaned over and kissed Willow's cheek, who was just beaming from ear to ear.

It had been one of those days where they were all over each other, right from the lazy and 'not-so-lazy' parts of their morning, the intimately shared brunch in bed and now just walking down the street. They really had time for nothing and nobody else, but Willow thought it was important to mark the day.

"I know you kept saying you don't want to do anything for your birthday, but we should do something. Just something fun we don't normally do."

"Well, since we're in the city anyway…" Tara replied agreeably, really happy to do whatever, as long as it was together, "What do you suggest?"

Willow had a list in her head of a few possibilities of things in the city she'd like to see and do. As she did a quick assessment of where they were, how much time and money they had and remembering Tara had mentioned going to this place before, she made a decision.

"We could visit the aquarium and eat on the waterfront. There's some nice restaurants out there, cheap too."

Tara just smiled; she knew she could trust her girlfriend to come up with something whimsical and fun to do for an afternoon.

"That actually sounds really lovely."

"If we get there on time we can watch them feed the penguins," Willow replied excitedly, "Train or walk?"

"Walk there, train home," Tara replied surely, "It'll be packed at this time with people coming home from sales."

"I'll never object to a stroll with my love," Willow replied sweetly.

She released Tara's arm only to take her hand, interlocking their fingers as they set off in the right direction.

It was less than a mile, so they got there in good time. The sun was shining even brighter over the water and it even felt a degree or two warmer. Tara looked forward to having a meal looking out on the wharf in a bit, but was excited for the aquarium too.

She had only been once as a child, but loved walking in the glass tunnels with the colourful aquatic life swimming above and around her. She knew Willow loved the penguins too, so this was an all 'round crowd pleaser to spend their day.

They paid the admission and Willow folded out the map they received.

"Should we start with the Amazon Rainforest exhibit or the Giant Ocean Tank?"

"Giant Ocean Tank," Tara replied eagerly.

They went to the giant four-story tank and Tara pressed herself right up close to the glass to watch all of the tropical fish, sea turtles, stingrays and eels swim around. She didn't look unlike some of the other actual children there, which was a treat for Willow to see, as she was usually more of the childlike one in the relationship.

She watched as something new caught her girlfriend's eye every second and how she got lost in their hypnotic movements.

"The exhibit goes down 26 feet, it is 40 feet wide and holds 200,000 gallons of salt water," Willow read from the map as she sidled up close to Tara, "This exhibit is so big that it was built first, and then the rest of the Aquarium was built around it."

"Wow," Tara replied in awe, "It is pretty amazing."

Willow stood with her and a few moments later, pointed excitedly.

"It's Myrtle the turtle!"

The kids in the area all came around to look as the famous green sea turtle swam by in all its majestic glory.

Willow was sure Myrtle shook her flipper in her direction and became giddy on her feet. She pulled at the hem of Tara's shirt with an animated smile, quickly shifting the childlike balance in her favour.

"She waved at me."

"I'm sure she did," Tara replied kindly.

Myrtle swam off again and Tara brought Willow over to a corner to show her some pretty parrotfish.

They spent two leisurely hours browsing the coral tank, the seadragons, the marine mammal centre and the rainforest exhibition.

They walked through the interactive centre on their way to the penguins, not intending to stop as it seemed geared mostly towards children. Willow, however, couldn't resist the opportunity to stroke the sharks and rays in the touch tank.

She brushed the backs of her fingers against them and smiled widely.

"Cool!"

Tara joined her and ran a delicate finger along a passing ray so as not to disturb its day too greatly.

"The ocean is amazing."

Willow nodded in agreement and they spent another few minutes observing the tank before they decided to move on.

They arrived at the penguins just as feeding had begun and both got great joy watching the penguins sliding and diving for their fish.

Willow imitated their waddle, making Tara laugh, and a penguin to come near to the enclosure wall and investigate.

"Hello Mr Penguin," Willow greeted.

The penguin made a squawking sound and went off again. Willow clutched Tara's arm excitedly.

"The turtle _and_ the penguin talked to me!"

"You're like aquawoman," Tara replied, her lips sloped on one side.

"Laugh at me now, but you'll be grateful when the ice caps melt and you have someone to help you survive," Willow replied with mock huffiness.

Tara just leaned over and kissed Willow's cheek until she was grinned. She pulled away, rubbed the spot on Willow's cheek lightly and took her hand.

"I'm getting hungry."

Willow nodded.

"Me too. Let's go find a restaurant."

Willow waved goodbye to the penguins and they took the long trip back through the aquarium to see everything again, but without stopping this time.

The waterfront was just around the corner and there were a few options to eat. They finally settled on a bistro place because it had outside seating with heaters.

Willow held Tara's chair out for her to sit, then pushed her in chivalrously.

"Thank you," Tara replied as Willow sat opposite her.

A waiter dropped off some menus and went to grab some bread, but Willow and Tara were hungry so they were ready to order in that space of time.

"I'll get the chilli burger with extra cheddar and fries, with a Sam Adams, thanks," Willow said, folding her napkin into her lap.

Tara took Willow's menu and handed it, and hers, to the waiter.

"I'll have the fish and chips and a glass of your house white, please."

The waiter wrote it down and left again.

"Good choice. I bet the fish is so fresh," Willow said, then pursed her lips and put on a bad English accent, "'Fish and chips'."

Tara shook her head playfully.

"I'm glad you're not trying to get a job that requires you to put on an accent."

"Hey," Willow replied indignantly, "I will have you know I've immersed myself so fully in Doctor Who and Whovianism that my accent is perfect."

"Keep believing in yourself, sweetie," Tara replied in that special way that managed to be sincere and tongue-in-cheek at the same time.

Willow responded by sticking her tongue out and Tara shoved a piece of bread in there. Willow just tore some from her mouth and chewed the rest.

"I was hungry anyway."

They had a very laid-back meal, sipping on their cold drinks and taking their time to eat while the sun set over the water.

They had a coffee and shared an indulgent slice of triple chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Willow sliced the end with a fork and held it over the table for Tara to eat.

"Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday dear Tara…Happy Birthday to you…"

Tara closed her mouth around the fork and smiled across the table at Willow.

"You will love this."

Willow took the next bite and her eyes rivalled the ones she made when Tara's mouth was somewhere else.

"In-cred-ible."

There was only one other couple sitting outside and they were two tables and a heater behind them, so they took the opportunity to feed each other the rest of the dessert without being self-conscious.

With full bellies and an after-dinner mint dissolving on their tongues, they caught the T home.

There was unwrapping of jackets and scarves when they got in, but Tara was quick to sidle up to Willow and hold her by the hips.

"I want to go to bed."

Willow glanced at her watch in confusion.

"It's early."

"I know what time it is," Tara replied, her eyes glancing to Willow's lips and back up to her eyes.

"Oh!" Willow replied, getting it, "Yes, yes. We should go to bed."

Tara led Willow into the bedroom, sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her close. She leaned up just as Willow leaned down to meet in the middle for a kiss.

Tara pulled on the strings of Willow's hoodie, then slid the zipper down until it sprang free. She pushed the material back off Willow's shoulders and let it fall, sliding her hands down to Willow's hips as it went.

She pulled Willow forward that last inch and started to slide the belt out of its loop. She popped the button on Willow's jeans, then abandoned Willow's lips to fall to her knees and drag the zip with her teeth.

Willow tried not to squirm as Tara's breath hit the front of her panties and stepped out of her jeans as they pooled at her ankles. Tara kissed below Willow's bellybutton, pushing the fabric of her shirt up on her way as her mouth sought softer pastures in the same direction.

Her lips enjoyed the exposed parts of Willow's breasts and she could see her nipples hardening behind the fabric of the bra. It sent jolts between her legs and she straightened up to pull Willow's cheeks forward, kissing her soundly.

Willow felt the fire in her belly ignite and pushed Tara back on the bed. She climbed over her, found the side button on Tara's skirt and delicately freed it with two fingers.

"Amazing what you can do with a couple of fingers," Tara commented with a sultry smile.

Willow's eyes flamed with lust and she yanked Tara's skirt straight off. Before it even landed on the floor, her mouth was on Tara's thighs; lips brushing her tender skin and nose hitting against even more tender areas through her panties.

Tara's eyelids fluttered closed as she felt the first throb of excitement deep inside her. Her hand pressed Willow's head gently into her panties, then pulled her up again, unable to resist the allure of her lips.

She held Willow's face gently while Willow suckled on her bottom lip.

After a minute or two, Willow pulled back with flushed cheeks and dark eyes.

"I have something to wear…but it's not like we normally get. It's…silly."

Tara just smiled coquettishly.

"I like silly."

Willow nervously stood up and walked into the closet.

Tara snapped her own bra off but left her panties off for Willow to take off later. She heard some shuffling and jostling, then Willow poked her head out of the closet.

"I changed my mind. I look stupid."

"Oh, just let me see," Tara said, crossing her arms behind her head so her chest thrust out more alluringly to coax Willow out.

It worked, and Willow made her way out in nothing but a candy g-string.

She'd had to get creative in finding an inexpensive treat.

Tara smirked.

"You look good enough to eat."

She motioned a blushing Willow over and into her lap, then leaned over and broke one of the candies into her mouth.

"It tastes like those candy necklaces you get as a kid."

Willow's flush spread to her chest.

"I think the, um…structure is the same."

Tara licked her lips and played with the elastic surrounding the candies.

"Sugar, sugar…" she sang teasingly.

Willow's brow creased.

"Don't."

"Honey, honey…" Tara continued, grin ever increasing.

"Tara…" Willow whined.

"You are my candy girl…" Tara sang, her voice dropping provocatively, "And you got me wanting you."

Willow was caught up in the look of Tara's eyes too much to continue to annoy being teased. Tara leaned in so their lips brushed.

"Bad," she whispered, breath becoming slightly laboured, "I want you bad."

Willow's stomach flopped and she crushed her mouth against Tara's, pushing her onto her back again.

Tara cupped Willow's butt cheeks, her wrists hitting against the candy shells as she did so. They got into an enthusiastic grinding a little too quickly, and it wasn't long before the thin elastic snapped under the friction and made the candies pool around their hips.

"Shit," Willow said, breaking the kiss to investigate, "Some treat that was."

"They haven't disappeared," Tara replied, slipping out from under Willow, "Lie on your front."

Willow obliged and Tara began lining the candies along Willow's spine. She slowly ate her way down, kissing each away with a generous press of her lips.

Willow tried not to shudder in pleasure and dislodge the candies, but it proved difficult. Tara's mouth was hot on her skin, searing her with desire.

When Tara took the last one right on the crack of her ass, Willow swung her legs around and landed Tara face to face with a sweeter treat.

Tara glanced up at Willow, grinned, and ducked her head to enjoy the offering.

The mess of broken candies surrounded them and every so often Tara would pick one up on her tongue and lick it through Willow's length before swallowing.

Willow found the sensation utterly erotic. Her hips lifted into Tara's mouth and sought as much contact as possible.

Tara caught another candy, but between her teeth this time. She dragged it between Willow's lips, then lifted it up to her girlfriend's mouth and kissed her.

Willow felt the candy melt on her tongue with the added tang from Tara's lips. She slipped her tongue past her girlfriend's teeth, where it played with Tara's until the candy dissolved between them.

Willow's hand fell to Tara's chest, sliding her palm against her girlfriend's nipple to feel it harden. She pinched it between two fingers, making Tara's hips jolt into her.

She rolled Tara over onto her back and made a grab for her panties.

Tara bent her knees up to help, and caught Willow with her legs when they were free.

Willow giggled as she fell forwards onto Tara again. Tara squirmed as she candies gathered under her butt and she batted underneath her to get rid of them.

Some rolled onto the floor and others crushed into the bed. There would be a good vacuuming needed later, but it wasn't on either of their minds.

Willow's hand curved around Tara's hip and rubbed down her outer thigh. She felt Tara shiver under her touch as she moved inwards and grew closed to the spot between her legs Tara wanted her to be.

Tara needed more contact; so she got Willow on her side and lowered her mouth to her girlfriend's chest. Her lips wrapped around a nipple so she could feel the skin pebbling on her tongue. She felt Willow's hand cup and squeeze her rear as little moans floated down to her ears.

She switched breasts to give the other side the same treatment and used her hand to tweak the wetted one. Willow's hips pushed forward and Tara felt her girlfriend's arousal spill on her thigh. She dropped her hand between Willow's legs and found her clit quickly, offering some friction by the pads of her fingers.

Willow's head lolled back, elongating her neck.

Tara moved her mouth up into Willow's neck and throat, gently scraping her teeth over the sensitive patches of thin skin. She could feel the heat coming from Willow's skin and dipped her middle finger inside Willow to get to her hottest recess. Her thumb took over Willow's clit and Tara used a curling motion to hit her sweet spot at the same time.

Willow's hands moved from Tara's ass up to her shoulders, hanging on. She'd fallen half onto her back and was enjoying Tara's weight on top of her and how it added drive to her thrusting hand.

"Baby…" she panted breathlessly, eyes closed.

She licked her lips to get some moisture, but it flooded south again with each pound of Tara's skilled fingers. She felt that fireball in her belly start to spread and had just enough time to grab the sheet and twist it in her hand before it broke and made her convulse.

Tara added another finger inside Willow to stroke her through the contractions. She stilled after a minute or so but stayed inside for the occasional squeeze she got while Willow caught her breath.

Willow absently smoothed out the sheet under her hand and wiggled her fingers free of the tension. Her eyes blinked open and she smiled bashfully under Tara's gaze.

"Wow."

Tara leaned in and pressed her lips to Willow, who loosely grabbed Tara's cheeks and kissed back insistently. It wasn't long before Tara was the one on her back and Willow was grinding on top of her.

Tara spread her legs to get some contact and Willow couldn't resist; she was down there in seconds, opening Tara's thighs and kissing between her legs.

Tara's neck arched into the pillows as she felt Willow's tongue glide through her. Her hips gave little jerky movements as Willow teased her clit, until finally a long groan was pulled from her as lips wrapped around it.

Her hand found Willow's head and held her there, wanting more of her. Willow obliged and made good use of her lips and tongue to drive Tara towards the edge.

She had Tara twisting and turning in no time. Her lips were her secret weapon, able to offer large open-mouth kisses to Tara's length while offering a particular quick burst of pleasure to her clit through a well-timed suck. They were plump from Tara's kisses which only added to the effect.

Tara's breath hitched and she grew tense for that split second before her body filled with the nerve-tingling pleasure that Willow was working so hard to give to her.

She covered her face with her hands and closed her legs to contain that little throb still pulsing through her clit. Willow joined back at the pillows and they laid close together, catching their breaths.

Tara was close to dozing off when Willow rolled onto her stomach and kicked her legs up behind her.

"I never gave you your present."

Tara blinked a few times, smiled lazily and turned her head towards Willow.

"I think you did…"

Willow blushed, then leaned in and placed a lingering kiss on Tara's lips. When she broke off, she bumped her nose affectionately against Tara's, then shuffled over to the other side of the bed to open her nightstand drawer.

She returned with something closed in her palm and a square jewellery box in the other hand.

Tara took it with a grateful smile and popped the lid. Inside was a silver chain with a small, silver pendant shaped like a puzzle piece hanging off of it.

"Put it on," Willow encouraged.

Tara sat up a bit and tied the chain around her neck. When she looked up again, she saw that Willow had a similar chain on too.

Willow brought their pendants close and locked them together.

"Get ready for the cheese…" she warned, then her smile softened, "You complete me."

Tara was touched.

"I love it."

She leaned over and cupped Willow's cheek, bringing them close to kiss. They laid their head down on the same pillow, still locked by the necklace.

"I love you," Tara finished, kissing Willow again.

"I love you," Willow added softly, nuzzling against Tara's neck, "You know I have to ask…good birthday?"

Tara curled the ends of Willow's hair around her fingers, releasing it every so often to find a new strand to play with.

"Best birthday," she replied emphatically, tilting Willow's chin up to look at her, "They keep getting better with you."

Willow closed the gap and kissed Tara again; each press of their lips tasting like she'd been in drought for years and Tara's kisses were the freshest water on earth.

They cuddled into each other, barely moving for the rest of the night.

Always fitting together perfectly to be each other's missing puzzle piece.


	33. Chapter 33

**t-rex291** — Well that sounds…okay, yeah, that doesn't sound much fun :P

* * *

Tara stepped into the elevator in her work building and pressed the button for the lobby.

She put her hands in her pockets to fetch her gloves before she walked out into the cold, but before she could get them on, she heard a voice call out.

"Hold it for me!"

Tara poked the door open button quickly and they sprung apart. Alice jogged in and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks."

Tara smiled back and began pulling her gloves back on.

"I was speaking to Becky," Alice said right as the elevator dropped into descent, "She's going out with Avery this evening."

"Are you okay with that?" Tara asked, smoothing out the material over her fingers.

Alice nodded easily, with an added dismissive wave.

"We were a fling, in very different times. I was a Sigma Kappa and he was Pi Kappa," she replied with a wistful smile, "Anyway, I'm taking a salsa class tonight. I'll have at least one hot Latin man in my clutches. The last thing I'll be thinking about is Avery Easton."

Her eyes seemed faraway for a moment, then she focused back on Tara.

"Are you up to anything tonight?"

Tara shook her head.

"No…no plans."

"Quiet nights in are nice," Alice replied warmly, then stepped out first when the elevator doors opened, "See you tomorrow, Tara."

"Bye," Tara replied with a wiggled of her gloved fingers as she left the building and turned in the opposite direction.

It was already dark, as it was every evening in the winter, but Tara still enjoyed the fresh air. She checked her watch and picked up her step so she could catch the T before the big rush hour push came about.

She just managed to slip through the closing doors of a train and caught her sleeve in them in the process.

A few people glanced away from their phones to watch her yank it free, but Tara was back to being happily ignored again by the time she found a seat. She watched people absorbed in their screens for a while, then just closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the windows.

The ride seemed to go on forever and Tara eventually abandoned ship, getting off a few stops early to walk the rest of the way. There was no ice or snow, so it was safe and at least the air would be less suffocating than the compressed, recycled air going around the train.

She met the first bustle of impatient commuters pushing through on her exit and had to take a breath and remind herself she loved her job enough to make the shuttle to and from worth it.

The stores on the street were starting to close up, but there was a market still open as Tara passed, so she decided to make a detour in. Willow did most of their grocery shopping, though they did sometimes head to the farmer's market near their place together when the weather was pleasant enough for Willow not to complain.

Willow tended to be a creature of habit with purchases, unless there was a special offer on and then she'd try something new. This led to Tara suggesting she be in charge of buying their fruit and vegetables, since she was more aware of what was in season.

Willow would buy 'standard' fruit and veg like apples, oranges, potatoes and peas, and Tara would get the rest fresh, from the outdoor market when she could. She didn't mind selecting from the produce section in the market though, and had a good eye for picking out the nicest things on offer.

She took a basket and had a browse around. She found some nice pears, kiwi fruit, grapefruit and a butternut squash. She then checked out the clearance section for vegetables, a tip she'd learned in high school to get veggies for soup. It didn't matter what they looked like and she'd be able to use them up straight away.

She picked up some leeks for some leak and potato soup and some celery to add to a pot of tomato soup – it was a sneaky way to get Willow to eat it. There were some carrots she could throw into anything and a pack of green beans that were on their sell-by date but she would happily eat that evening with whatever was for dinner. For 17 cents she could hardly put them back and let them be thrown in the trash.

Happy with her buys, she went through the checkout and put everything in the reusable bag she carried in her satchel.

It swung off her wrist the rest of the way home and she was much happier than she had been just stepping off the train. She planned to bring a pear to eat on her commute to work the next day, to at least put a nice taste in place of the often foul one the train gave her.

She arrived home and the apartment was dark and empty. She flicked on the light and checked for a note, but there didn't seem to be one. She brought the groceries into the kitchen and unpacked them, then had a good look in the fridge for what she might be able to make for dinner.

There was no meat or sauce thawing so Tara figured Willow hadn't specifically taken anything out. There was a pack of bacon that needed to be used up and she wanted to use the squash she got while it was still so fresh.

She chopped that up first and got it in the oven to soften. She then got a pan out and started to prepare the rest of the meal.

Twenty minutes later, Willow came through the door, plucking gloves from her fingers.

"Baby, hi," she said, shivering for a moment as she closed the door behind her, "Got stuck on a commuter train. Couldn't push through the crowds at our stop and had to walk back from the next one. Five extra minutes on the train could be used as a torture technique."

"They're worse in the winter, aren't they? It's like you walk in from dreary to drearier," Tara replied with a sigh, "I was planning on beating the bleak tomorrow with some fresh fruit during the commute to brighten my spirits."

Willow grinned and produced a candy bar wrapper from her pocket to indicate she'd done similar in her own way. Tara smiled back.

"What were you up to?"

"I was handing out my résumé," Willow replied as she took her jacket off and hung it up.

Tara looked up from where she was grating the carrot she'd bought over the salad she'd prepared.

"Oh, how did you get on?"

Willow made a so-so motion with her hand.

"Nowhere has anything, but they said they'd keep it on file. It's something, at least."

"Well done, I know it's intimidating," Tara replied encouragingly.

Willow smiled appreciatively and came to lean over the breakfast bar.

"What smells so good?"

Tara cast her eye towards the oven, where a pan was bubbling away inside.

"I made risotto with butternut squash, bacon and some Jack cheese. If you're not full of Baby Ruth, that is."

"That sounds so good," Willow replied longingly, with hungry eyes, "I realised on my way home I forgot to take anything out. I was going to make up some pasta but yours sounds so much better."

Tara had the table already set, so handed Willow the salad over the bar, then prepared the buttered green beans and gave them to her too. Willow didn't scrunch her nose; she'd actually learned to enjoy the way Tara made them with the butter, fresh black pepper and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Tara got the oven glove and brought the pan of risotto to the table, leaving it on the wooden board she'd left there to absorb the heat.

Steam was rising and Willow was salivating.

Tara served up the risotto with the green beans and the salad and they both tucked in.

Willow told Tara about the places she'd dropped her résumé to and how she was worried about her reference from Starbucks. Tara reassured her and promised a distraction later. Willow perked up at that and finished her meal with a smile again.

Willow helped clear the dishes, but Tara encouraged her to sit down.

"Go and relax, I want to hang out in the kitchen anyway."

"You cooked," Willow protested, but not too heartily.

Tara just patted Willow's back, so she shrugged and went off to turn on the TV.

A while passed and Willow craned her neck back to see what Tara was up to, as more than enough time had passed to clean up after dinner.

"What are you doing?"

"Making soup," Tara answered, stirring her broth as it defrosted in a pot.

"That last batch of tomato you made was delicious," Willow complimented.

Tara just grinned to herself.

"I was going to ask you to teach me the finer particulars of soup once, but then I thought why risk it when yours is so good?" Willow continued, smiling and hugging a cushion to her chest.

Tara hummed to herself as she chopped the tomatoes and celery together.

"It's okay, I like to make it."

She did. She enjoyed having something to do.

An hour later she had numerous rectangular Tupperware ready to stack in the freezer, and more in portion-sized plastic cup-shaped containers she'd found in a dollar store that were perfect to take to work.

She wiped down the counters, washed her hands and joined Willow on the couch. Willow cuddled into her with her eyes remaining on the television.

Tara had her arm around Willow and was very comfortable, but also had an odd sensation of antsiness inside. As one TV show ended and another began, she let out a big sigh.

"We always watch the same shows."

"That's generally how TV works, hun. They show them in seasons," Willow replied jokingly, then turned to offer Tara the remote, "Did you want to watch something else? I thought you liked these cop shows."

Tara nodded.

"I do."

Willow looked at a loss.

"So what's the problem?"

Tara shrugged, then shook her head.

"Nothing."

"Convincing," Willow replied, pushing herself up, "You don't want to watch TV?"

"I do," Tara answered, unsure how to voice how she was feeling, "I just think we could do more."

"More?" Willow asked, scratching her head, "Our DVR is pretty full and I have a bunch of boxsets."

Tara made indistinguishable motions with her hands.

"We should do things."

Willow blinked unsurely.

"Things…?"

"Get out in the evening," Tara clarified.

Willow tried to think, but was coming up blank.

"Tickets to shows are expensive and we already meet the gang at the bar."

"We could do a pottery class or something," Tara suggested.

Willow's eyebrows rose up into her forehead.

"Pottery?"

"Are you going to repeat everything I say?" Tara asked, though not impatiently, "Pottery 'or something'."

"…we could watch movies instead," Willow offered, but quickly backtracked after she saw the look on Tara's face, "Okay, okay, we'll do something."

She started to settle back into the couch, but Tara continued to stare at her.

"What, now?"

"We can at least see what's around," Tara reasoned.

Willow grudgingly got up to get her laptop.

"No exercise. It's still winter. I'm in exercise hibernation."

"That's fine," Tara replied easily.

"Or art," Willow added, "I suck at art."

"Okay, no art," Tara agreed.

Willow tapped the touchpad while she waited for the laptop to load up.

"We could always stay in and have lots of sex."

Tara put a finger under Willow's chin and turned her head in.

"We do that anyway," she replied with a sideways smile.

Willow smiled back.

"No such thing as too much."

Tara brushed her thumb against Willow's lips.

"Find something romantic to get my juices going."

Willow's eyes widened and she turned back to her computer much more eagerly.

"…now there's an incentive I can work with."

* * *

Willow waded through some tables that were arranged at odd angles with each other, making it difficult to carry their drinks without spilling.

They were in a jazz bar downtown, so while not quite the same as their usual quiet neighbourhood haunt, it was comfortable and the music was low enough to maintain a conversation.

Finally Willow completed the obstacle course of tables and set their drinks down on their own table. It was a small wooden square on a long black pole, with plush leather chairs that had a back but no arms, so you had to keep yourself upright.

Willow tried to sit and began to slide right off, but covered by jumping up before she tumbled down.

"I like the sax," Willow commented to distract as she sat down properly this time, "Always did. Wanted to do it in band but I wasn't musically talented enough to last more than one semester."

"Band cost money," Tara replied as she slid her wine glass towards her by the stem, "I did classes that were free."

"What about field trips?" Willow asked, feeling sad for Tara's schooling and general misfortune during those years.

Tara shrugged.

"Missed out. I didn't mind really. Gave me longer to get chores done."

"Well aren't you glad you have a helper-outer now?" Willow asked while flashing her teeth to lighten the mood.

"Very," Tara replied emphatically, tilting her glass so it knocked gently on the neck of Willow's bottle, "You are a machine with the vacuum."

Willow smugly motioned vacuuming.

"It's all about the angles."

Tara's head tilted back with laughter, and in the process she spotted Becky arriving. She wiggled her fingers in a wave and Willow held up the second bottle of beer to indicate she'd gotten her a drink already.

Becky spotted them and weaved her way over to them. She almost slipped out of the chair too, but gripped the table and kept herself up.

"Thanks," she said when Willow handed her the beer and leaned each way to offer brief hugs, "Good to see you two."

"You too," Willow replied.

"Nice to see you," Tara added softly, "We haven't seen you since we bumped into you on New Year's."

"You guys bumped into me on New Year's?" Becky asked, confused, "Man I really was wasted that night."

"I gave you Avery's number…" Willow prompted, "Tara said Alice said you were going out with him."

"Oh," Becky replied, trying to think back, "I didn't recognise the name the next day so I rang the number and he mentioned Alice and we started talking. I didn't really think about how it got there."

Willow rolled her eyes and Tara just smiled affectionately at their friend's antics.

"How is the dating going?"

Becky let out a long sigh.

"He's amazing in bed, but he's soooo annoying. Always quipping and quoting."

Willow's eyebrow quirked.

"You do realise he's basically the male version of you, right?"

Becky's brow creased in thought for a moment.

"…ohhh," she said, then shrugged and took a swig of beer, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Willow just shook her head, but Becky didn't seem too perturbed by the revelation.

"What are you guys doing this side of town anyway? I was surprised when you said you wanted to meet here."

"We're doing a candle making class and we needed to kill an hour before it starts," Tara explained, "It's on in the education centre down the street."

"You two sure are adrenaline junkies," Becky commented wryly.

"What are you doing that's so exciting?" Willow asked.

Becky smiled to herself.

"Seeing Avery."

"You just said he was annoying!" Willow countered huffily.

Becky winked.

"I also said he was good in the sack."

Tara laughed and Willow shot them both a 'seriously' look, but there was a grin tugging at her lips too.

"You are unbelievable, but that's why we love you."

"I am…what I am…" Becky sang, swishing her long hair from side to side and getting annoyed glances from the other patrons in the bar trying to enjoy the jazz.

"Well, you always entertain, Beck, I'll give you that," Willow said, shifting uncomfortably in the chair, "These feel like one of those therapist chairs was cut in three and arranged around a table. And this was the least trendy bar we could find in the area!"

"You haven't seen uncomfortable chairs until you've sat on a giant ice cube," Becky advised, "I put my hand down for a sec and it froze on! Lost a layer of skin getting it off."

"Why would you even go to a place like that?" Willow asked with a shudder.

"Because it was super cool," Becky replied casually, then smirked, "Get it? Super–ow!"

"Willow, don't kick Becky under the table," Tara interjected, like she might with two toddlers.

"I slipped, I swear!" Willow said genuinely, pulling herself up again, "Sorry."

Becky waved it off and Willow kept one hand gripping the table for the rest of their time there.

They all stood to leave when their drinks were finished and Willow and Tara said goodbye to Becky, who was on her way to Avery's place, probably only for long enough to get what she wanted and leave again. It wouldn't be long before that fizzled out; that much was obvious already. Becky hadn't been serious with anyone since Jack, and appeared not to have an interest in it either.

Willow and Tara made a stop off at the bathroom on their way out. Whilst Willow was in the bathroom, Tara patted some powder on her cheeks in the mirror, though it was hard to gauge her complexion under the 'cool' blue lighting.

She fixed her hair instead, which had become a little windswept on the way over. Her comb lightly grazed her hair back into submission and she fixed her parting so it fell into the zigzag she liked to do for some pizazz. She had a hair tie ready on her wrist should her hair become an obstruction during the candle-making.

Willow came out to wash her hands and requested Tara's comb to get out little knots she could feel at her ends. She was an on-the-hour kind of brusher when she could help it, otherwise her hair became a mane of knots, especially when she wasn't bothered straightening it.

"Let me," Tara offered, standing behind Willow and gently de-knotting her, "You get so aggressive with your hair sometimes."

"I have to or it won't brush through!" Willow defended, "Sometimes when I go down on you under the covers, I wake up the next morning with Fort Knot happening."

"Willow!" Tara hissed, right as the flusher in another cubicle sounded.

Willow's eyes widened and stayed fixed ahead as a woman in a trilby sauntered out with a smirk on her face, winked at them and left again with a very apparent swaying ass.

Willow looked at Tara in the mirror apologetically.

"…sorry."

Tara's red cheeks were thankfully hidden in the lighting, so she stroked out the last of the knots and went to splash her face.

"Willow, Willow, Willow…what will I do with you?"

Willow looked sheepish.

"Love me forever?"

Tara sighed with a smile and offered her hand.

"I think I might have to."

Willow accepted Tara's hand with a smile and linked their fingers. They walked back through the bar, passing their pal from the restroom on the way, who tipped her drink towards them.

More blushing ensued, but it was easily hidden as a result of the cold once they got outside. The centre was just at the other end of the street, and when they got in there was a list of classes pinned to a board, showing which room they were taking part in.

Candle-making was listed as being in one of the art rooms and Willow got a chill down her spine. She hadn't considered it would be thought of as 'art'.

"…is this art?"

"You chose it, Will," Tara replied with a tone obviously trying not to sound clipped, "I gave you full control and you chose this."

"I thought it would be like a science experiment," Willow grumbled, "Come on."

Tara stayed on the spot and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Willow, if you're going to be grumpy we may as well just leave."

Willow turned back around and took Tara's hands.

"I'm not," she said softly, "I promise. Just help me out if there's sketching or something involved.

Tara squeezed Willow's hands gently.

"Of course I will. We'll do it together."

Willow perked up again, linked her arm into Tara's and they found their way to the appointed room. It was a sculpting room with plenty of stains on the floor and tables. They chose a table at the back.

"Like being in high school again," Willow whispered, running her hands along the wood, "Look, there's even graffiti."

Other people milled in, some obvious couples, some looking more like friends and one almost certain mother and daughter. The instructor was at the top of the class and when it hit the hour, she closed the door and introduced herself.

She explained they'd be starting with basic candles and working their way up through the length of the course. She wrote down the different types on the board, which Willow diligently took down in the notebook she'd brought.

They were all invited to come and pick out scents they wanted for their first try, and to collect equipment.

To Willow's delight, there was measuring, melting and even a Bunsen burner involved.

"It IS like a science experiment!" she whispered to Tara, who smiled back, sharing her joy.

"Lilac or jasmine?" Tara asked, taking sniffs from each.

Willow did the same.

"Jasmine."

They brought everything back to their table and Willow set it up with delight. Tara set the wick in the small circle candle tins they were using to mould.

Together they measured the wax and purple dye chips and began to melt it. Willow kept a careful eye on the thermometer as they had strict instructions not to let it go past a certain point.

"You're sexy when you're being a scientist," Tara whispered in her ear, "Maybe we could find you a white coat to wear at home…"

Willow's cheeks flamed.

"My cheeks will be hotter than the wax if you keep this up," she said, though she did seem intrigued.

Tara just smiled and measured out the fragrance. They mixed it all together thoroughly so it was well-distributed. Together they poured it into the tin until just below the line.

It needed to set before they trimmed the wick properly, so they had fun washing up the bowls together; so much fun that they got a look once or twice from the instructor to quieten down.

Willow reverted to her high school self and shut up immediately, though did swap mischievous smiles with Tara.

They packed away the equipment and finished off their candle, then waited for the instructor to come around and inspect their work.

When she got to them, she picked it up and sniffed it.

"Very nice. Good balance with the scent and nice colouring."

Willow bounced on her seat and beamed at Tara, who gave her a pat on the back.

The instructor finished up the class and advised what they would be doing next week.

Willow wrote down what she said so she could research ahead of time. Tara waited patiently for her to finish and when Willow did, she grabbed their handle and practically cradled it the whole way home.

"I had fun, did you?" Tara asked while she let them into the apartment.

"I did!" Willow replied happily, "You're right, it's nice to get out in the evenings."

"And even nicer to get home again," Tara replied sweetly.

Willow got on her laptop when they went in and browsed for a while, and Tara got her lunch and other things prepared for the next day. Tara was in bed first, but Willow wasn't far behind her.

As Willow slid under the sheet, Tara held their candle between them.

"What do you say to trying it out?"

Willow's eyes grew wide.

"You can't burn it! We made this. It's our baby."

Tara put the candle back on her nightstand, next to a little box of matches.

"Shame. Jasmine kinda turns me on."

Willow paused.

She looked at Tara for a long second, then immediately rolled over her and struck the match.

"Burn, baby, burn."


	34. Chapter 34

Tara walked through the elegant glass doors of the entrance of the hotel and paused to take in the lobby's elegance.

There were lots of blacks, silvers and oranges in the décor, with plush leather couches and hanging chairs. Feature art pieces of all descriptions were tacked on, or hanging from walls, while others were free-standing in place. Some were indistinguishable as art or furniture.

Behind the reception desk was a giant fish tank embedded into the wall with multi-coloured tropical fish swimming around inside. The people manning the desk were wearing black slacks and each had a different coloured shirt to match the fish.

The other guests around the lobby and in the nearby bar had perfectly manicured nails — men and women, were wearing trendy clothing and most were continuing to wear their sunglasses indoors.

"Whoa," Willow said as she came up behind, wheeling an overnight bag, "Alice thinks we're this fashionable? Has she not peeked inside our closet?"

She glanced down at her print leggings and long grey sweater and hoped it was 'neutral' enough to get them through the check-in without a haughty sneer. She followed Tara over to the desk but hung back and waited just in case.

After a few minutes, Tara turned back with the room key, which was an old-fashioned, large gold keychain, like a janitor might have, with a modern key-card attached via a small hole punch.

"That's…unnecessarily awkward," Willow commented as they walked to the elevator.

The elevator had mirrors on each wall, with silver borders. The buttons had the numbers written in cursive instead of in figures.

Tara pressed 'twenty' and Willow quirked an eyebrow.

"We're high."

"Does that bother you?" Tara asked, "I can go ask to change rooms."

Willow shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I always liked going up to high rooms as a kid. I felt like I could keep going and fly like in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Plus it's fun to peer out the windows in the room knowing you're safe. Hope this room has a decent window."

The doors opened at their floor and a male voice spoke smoothly through speakers.

"Welcome to the twentieth floor. Enjoy your stay."

Willow looked up, impressed.

"Virtual elevator operator. Cool."

They followed the wall signs to end of the hallway where their room was. Tara flashed the card at the sensor on the door and she opened the door fully. She held it open for Willow to wheel in their bag behind her.

The main door opened into a small L-shaped cubby that had a closet to hang your clothes or leave your luggage in. You could continue through another door straight into a grand marble bathroom, or turn right into the main bedroom.

They went into the room, which featured a sleek king-sized bed with black leather headboard and crisp white linen, a slim rectangular cabinet at the foot of it and an oak desk beside it, back against the wall that led to the bathroom. A black leather work chair was tucked under with the hotel's logo in orange embossed on the back.

They were walking on soft, grey carpet that cushioned them even in their shoes. The lighting features, both lamps on the desk and uplighting on the wall, were orange, which matched the décor of the lobby.

They were in a corner room and the only concrete wall was behind the bed, where they'd walked in from. All the others were floor-to-ceiling windows with white pillars between for support. They had remote-controlled black-out blinds and absolutely breath-taking views of the city since the hotel was just on the outskirts.

"You definitely got your window," Tara commented as she closed the door behind them.

Willow dropped the handle on the bag and wandered over to the windows, stunned.

"Woah," she said, placing her palms and nose flat against the glass as she stared out.

Tara was equally impressed and came to stand beside Willow, placing a hand on the small of her back.

"You're saying that a lot."

Willow peeled her face away to cast a glance at Tara.

"I better save my last one for getting you naked later," she quipped with a grin, then felt a little unsteady as her eyes tried to focus two windows at once, "You wouldn't want to have vertigo in this room. I love it."

She sat onto the bed with a bounce and laid back.

"Now this is comfort. Come check out the mattress."

Tara sat on the side of the bed and pressed her palm into the mattress. She swung her legs up and cosied up to Willow.

"That's one way to trick me into bed."

Willow hooked a finger in Tara's belt loop and nudged their hips a little closer together.

"You've always come willingly."

Tara threw a leg over Willow's waist and pressed her stomach against her at an angle.

"Well, when such beauty awaits me…"

She leaned in and Willow pulled her the last few inches by way of a finger beneath her chin. When their lips met, Willow's fingers fell into Tara's neck and she grasped the back of it to tug her girlfriend fully on top of her.

She felt Tara's thigh slide between her legs and her thin leggings didn't leave much restriction in sensation. She made a muffled, surprised sound against Tara's lips.

Tara pulled back for a moment and grinned at Willow, who blushed.

"What was that?" Tara asked teasingly, tickling Willow's cheek with her finger.

"That was 'please keep going'," Willow replied breathlessly, her hips squirming under Tara, "Emphasis on the 'please'. And even more on the 'keep going'."

Tara pressed her middle finger against the seam of Willow's pants and found the outline of her lips. She rubbed up and down, slowly.

Willow bit her bottom lip as a moan vibrated past. She could feel her dampness emerging and her clit beginning to twitch. She felt that pop in her abdomen to signal the first rush of lust.

Tara's hand cupped Willow fully, who gasped unexpectedly. Tara took the opportunity when Willow's back was arched to lift the sweater over her head.

Willow had nothing on underneath, so Tara drew small circles on her girlfriend's nipples.

"We came to a fancy hotel and you didn't even wear a bra."

Willow caught her breath but it was increasingly becoming laboured again under Tara's touch.

"I'm not Juggzilla like you."

Tara's hands curved around Willow's breasts and squeezed.

"Who wants monsters when you have perfect little pixies to play with?"

Willow's hands lifted and she began to quickly unbutton Tara's shirt.

"Me."

She dragged the shirt down Tara's arms and sat herself up to reach behind and unsnap Tara's bra. It fell between them and Willow flicked it away.

As soon as Willow's hands touched Tara's breasts, Tara moved away, much to Willow's chagrin. Tara grabbed a pillow and held it to her chest.

"Hang on."

She crept over to the door, opened it a crack and ducked her head around. She closed it again a moment later and crossed the bolt bar over the door for good measure.

"Do not disturb sign," she said as she appeared out from the cubby again.

"Right," Willow replied with a sage nod of her head, "Don't want to get walked in on again."

Tara climbed back onto the bed and left the pillow back in its spot. She placed her hands back on Willow's hips, but Willow was looking sideways out the window.

"…do you think people in other buildings can see in?"

Tara glanced around. While there were other high-rise buildings nearby, they were on the far side of them.

"Not from this angle. Maybe if we were in a room on the opposite side of the hotel," she said, then pointed to the nearest building, which also had long windows, "Can you see in there?"

Willow couldn't see anything, especially with the bright sun.

"No."

Tara smiled.

"Then they can't see us."

Willow nodded, but didn't seem convinced.

"I kinda feel like I'm in a showroom."

"I can pull the blinds," Tara offered, and reached for the remote on the nightstand.

Willow shook her head.

"No, I love the light…"

Tara turned the remote and saw a note stuck onto the back. She grinned and waved it at Willow.

"The windows have privacy tinting."

Willow grinned back and pulled Tara to her again.

"Perfect."

She stroked her girlfriend's hair, shining brightly with the sun rays behind her.

"Then I'm taking full advantage of haloed Tara."

Tara dropped the remote and leaned back over Willow.

"You can take all the advantage you want."

Willow giggled and they fell back onto the bed together. Willow's fingertips brushed Tara's cheeks as she kissed her; the pads tracing the curve of her jaw.

Tara's hand easily grabbed a handful of Willow's stretchy leggings and yanked them past her knees. Willow brought her legs up to wrench herself free and while she was doing so, Tara slipped off the end of the bed to drop her skirt and panties.

Willow ended up swinging back on her elbows and stared at Tara, stunned.

"There is something so incredibly sexy about you standing there exposed at all angles…even though I know no one can see in. Like I can show you off to the world while still being all mine, mine, mine."

Tara pretty much jumped back onto the bed and crawled over Willow in that slow, seductive way that hit Willow bang between the legs every time.

Tara's thighs skidded past Willow's and she pressed a kiss under one of Willow's ears.

"Yours."

Her stomach brushed Willow's and her mouth went to the other ear.

"Yours."

Finally Tara slid up flush with Willow and kissed her in the sensitive skin at the hollow of her throat.

"Yours."

Willow was near the most distressed she'd ever been that she hadn't taken her own panties off yet, such was the allure of the sweet press of Tara's body. She made a push at them, but Tara was pinning her in place.

Tara knew impatient wiggling when she felt it, so she trailed her lips down past Willow's bellybutton and took the little bow that fronted Willow's panties between her teeth.

She looked up to catch Willow's eye, quirked her parted lips on one side in a smirk and tugged the panties down.

Willow flooded on the spot, as any baring of Tara's teeth made her.

Tara returned up to Willow and again pressed their now thankfully both nude bodies into each other. Willow's hand palmed beneath Tara's shoulder, then caressed downwards until it curved over Tara's rear. She took a generous handful and had a squeeze.

Tara glanced over her shoulder, then back at Willow with a smile as she grinded her hips down into her.

"I hope one of those news choppers with the ultra-bright lights doesn't pass by."

Willow dug her fingernails into Tara's butt, dimpling it.

"Sexiest ass in the world discovered. Film at 11."

Tara rolled her chest so their breasts and nipples brushed together.

"That would put my unwitting sex tape number at: two."

Willow kept Tara's gaze, though breathlessly.

"Can't blame me this time."

"You made me be on top," Tara replied, making full use of the position to rub Willow from every angle.

Willow was going red just about everywhere and losing moisture in her mouth, but was determined to retort.

"I may have put you there, but you demanded you stay."

Tara could see the state Willow was getting in to and she wasn't far off it herself. She pressed their faces together and shared breath with Willow.

"I demand that you kiss me."

Willow gratefully took the out and pulled Tara into a deep, messy kiss.

Neither sought to separate, in fact staying as locked in with the other as possible. They did use the large space of the bed to roll around and take turns being in the dominant position.

Hands groped and fondled everywhere but Tara was the first to take it further. She got Willow beneath her, pinned an arm above their heads and used her other hand to brush against Willow's curls.

Willow's abdominal muscles jumped and she felt herself begin to trickle. Her thighs rubbed together but they were quickly parted again as Tara's hand slipped between Willow's legs and stroked her lips.

Willow moaned softly, then a little louder as Tara's finger twirled past her clit. Willow bucked up and Tara sank her fingers deeper, probing her opening for a moment before sliding inside.

Willow's body arched and she took them deeply, squeezing Tara inside to fill her completely.

Tara thrust inside Willow while their bodies slickly skid together. Continuing to hold Willow's arm above her head, she kissed her deeply, pulling Willow's tongue into her mouth.

Willow's head was physically lifted off the bed and she used the force of the kiss to pull Tara back down. She broke the restraint and turned Tara on her back, much to her girlfriend's surprise.

Tara felt Willow's lips fall into her neck and her eyelids fluttered closed with pleasure. She started to move her hand back between Willow's legs, but Willow joined her this time and their wrists crossed as they entered each other.

Willow felt the vibrations of Tara's moans through her lips pressed to Tara's throat. Her tongue fell out to taste her girlfriend's salty, sweet skin.

"Mmm," she moaned as she tongue dipped under Tara's ear, "You taste good from top to bottom."

Her mouth moved down to Tara's breasts, tonguing her nipples greedily.

Tara was finding her mind starting to cloud, so dragged her fingers out of Willow and slid them up to rub her clit. Willow was shaking moments later, groaning out a release with her teeth still lightly pulling Tara's nipple.

Tara lifted her wet fingers to her breast and gently coated the other nipple and areola with Willow's excitement. Willow watched it glisten at her invitingly and latched on immediately. It was exciting, but not as exciting as tasting Tara and she was soon continuing down to sample her directly.

Tara's bottom lip quivered with pleasure as Willow's mouth and tongue bathed and soothed her sensitive flesh.

Her hips rolled around the bed and took Willow's head with her, locked tightly to offer everything she had. The silken sheets were caught in her hands, bunched between her fingers as her body strained with the promise of orgasm.

Finally it broke, to a long moan lost to the headboard and a body arched completely off the bed.

When Tara's body settled again, Willow kissed her way back up and rolled her palm one last time against Tara's still rock hard nipple.

"Nothing like some anniversary afternoon delight."

She smirked, claimed Tara's lips for several moments, then fell back onto the comfortable mattress beside her.

"We should stay in bed all day. This room is stunning and you're even more so."

Tara was suitably flattered but had to disappoint.

"We have facials booked."

"Oh, right," Willow replied, sighing softly, "I completely forgot."

Tara brushed her fingers against Willow's arm, then swung her legs off and went into the bathroom.

Willow stretched out across the large bed and noticed a TV remote sitting on the nightstand. She picked it up, confused.

"Why is there a TV remote with no TV?" she asked out loud, then pressed the red button, which caused a large television to appear up from the cabinet at the end of the bed, "Holy shit, that's cool!"

The toilet flushed and Tara returned, gathering up her clothes.

"We can watch TV at home."

"Not on one that appears from nowhere!" Willow countered animatedly.

Tara picked up Willow's shirt and tossed it at her.

"Put some clothes on."

Willow grumbled as she caught it.

"That's my least favourite thing you've ever said."

Tara just hummed to herself as she dressed.

"Nice bath in there. We should make the most of it later."

Willow grinned.

"That's better."

They finished getting dressed and made their way back through the crowd of hipsters in the lobby to get to the spa. The windows on the way in were double-panelled and had water trickling between like rain. There was a half-moon desk that had a petite woman in linens sitting behind, tapping away at a computer.

"Hi, we have an appointment," Tara said as they approached, "It's probably under Maclay."

The woman typed the name in and smiled pleasantly.

"I see you're booked in for facials and an additional half-hour treatment," she said, reading from the screen before looking up at them. "Would you like a seaweed wrap or Indian head massage?"

"Alice told me that seaweed wrap is very invigorating," Tara said, turning over a leaflet on the desk to read about it.

"Well I've never had any desire to be wrapped in algae, so I'll take the head massage," Willow added.

The woman typed and gestured towards a door off to the side.

"Great, if you'd like to walk through your facial technicians are waiting for you."

They walked into a treatment room with white walls and soft, brown furnishings. Music filled with rhythmic bells played softly over a speaker, supplemented by wind chimes hanging near the open window.

There were two leather treatment tables laid out with a woman standing by each, organising various creams and balms.

They greeted Willow and Tara warmly and guided each to a table and encouraged them to get comfortable, providing extra pillows and a blanket to drape across them.

"Do you have any allergies or skin sensitivities I should know about?" Tara's technician asked in a soft, muted tone that was melodious with the music.

Tara shook her head as the technician used a head band to cover her hairline.

"Do you prefer mango or papaya scent?" she asked.

"Mango, I think," Tara decided and heard Willow answering the same way.

The scent quickly filled the room as the mask was rubbed into each of their faces. They both felt a gentle tingle in their cheeks, then a washcloth was placed over their faces.

The technicians left through a door, dimming the lights on the way.

Willow pulled the corner of her cloth down, peeked out and made sure they were alone.

"Tara?" she stage-whispered.

"Yeah?" Tara asked from under the cloth.

The room was quiet for a moment before Willow spoke again.

"Is your one…a little handsy?"

Tara's cloth moved as her nose scrunched beneath.

"What?"

"I'm getting a bit of a neck massage," Willow answered.

Tara settled her head again.

"That's part of it."

"Are you sure?" Willow questioned doubtfully.

"Yes," Tara answered assuredly "But if you're uncomfortable just tell her."

"I'm not…" Willow replied cautiously, "If you're not."

"No, I'm not jealous if that's what you're asking," Tara replied, smirking slightly, "Unless she creeps down to your boobs."

Willow flicked her cloth back onto her face.

"Okay, good, because it's super relaxing."

Their tables were close together, so Tara was able to reach out and poke Willow in the side.

"Hey!" Willow replied through a giggle.

She intended to poke back but the door swung open again and she had to keep her hands to herself.

Their masks were rubbed off and moisturiser applied liberally. When they finished up, they were brought to different rooms for their second treatment.

Willow sat in a comfortable chair to wait on her masseuse while Tara was brought into a cubicle to change into paper underwear and then to a new table by herself. A new technician came in and introduced herself and quickly got down to covering Tara's body in a heavy paste. It was pungent but there were other, fruitier smells in the room to take the toxicity of the scent away.

She was then swaddled in a thermal blanket and told to lie back and relax.

The heat did help her muscles relax and she felt her pores opening through the sweat. It put her in a pleasant, semi-unconscious state and it felt like 5 minutes, not 30 when the technician returned.

Once unswaddled, Tara had a warm shower to wash the mask away and then she was covered top to toe in more moisturiser. She wasn't sure it had actually done anything, but she sure felt great and that was gratifying enough.

She dressed again, brushed her hair through and left it down. She smiled at herself, feeling light and refreshed.

She waited for Willow in the lobby, who was out to her minutes later, smiling too.

"You're glowing."

Tara offered her arm.

"You're just happy because of all the hands you've had on you today."

"What can I say, I'm easily pleased," Willow replied, blushing.

They returned to the room and changed into evening dresses for dinner – Tara's knee-length and blue, while Willow's had long sleeves and was a complimentary soft purple.

Tara put the hair clip Willow had gotten her for their last anniversary in her hair and touched up her make-up.

She came out of the bathroom and Willow dropped what was in her hands in surprise. She flushed and bent to pick them up before straightening up again.

"You look lovely," she said softly, "Four years and you still stun me."

Tara pressed her fingers to her lipstick-covered lips, then pressed those fingers to Willow's lips. Willow smiled and dangled a necklace from a hand on each finger.

"I couldn't decide which one of these I wanted to wear but this one got all tangled in my bag," she said, wiggling the tangled necklace on her left hand.

Tara put her palm under the necklace and gathered it up.

"Lemme see."

She took it and gently de-knotted the chain until it hung free. She tied it around Willow's neck and left her admiring it in the mirror before returning moments later with a gift in tissue paper.

"Now it won't get tangled again."

Willow's brow creased curiously and she opened the tissue. Inside was a wooden jewellery box with a little wooden heart glued to the front and Willow engraved in cursive across the top.

"Tara, it's beautiful," Willow said, popping the top to store her second necklace away safely.

"Well I've gotten you a lot of jewellery over the years…I thought I should get you something to put it in," Tara replied shyly, "I may have added a little flair."

"I can see. It's perfectly Tarafied," Willow replied fondly as she put her arms around Tara, "Thank you so much."

She leaned back and pecked Tara gently so as not to disturb her lipstick.

"You have to wait for yours."

Tara smirked seductively.

"I don't mind a little anticipation."

Willow exhaled, carefully set her gift down and took Tara's arm.

"Dinner?"

"Love to," Tara replied with a charming smile.

They walked down to the restaurant and were seated immediately despite the place being quite full. Most of the other patrons were men in fedora style hats and women with lots of differently coloured hair. It was all very vibrant and fun.

Tara looked at the upturned wine glass at their table acting as a candle holder and smiled.

"I have always liked quirky."

Willow was perusing the menu and her brow was creasing often.

"What the hell is 'russet potato mousseline infused with organic Rhode Island red egg, shaved celery and ground mustard'?

Tara lightly shrugged her shoulders.

"Sounds like potato salad."

"Why can't they just say that?" Willow asked incredulously.

"Because they have to justify it costing $15," Tara replied with a grin.

Willow shook her head.

"Thank god this is paid for."

A waiter came over to them with a spherical carafe of water and poured them each a glass.

"And how can I meet your culinary needs tonight?"

Willow shot Tara a look, but Tara managed not to break into laughter.

"I'll have the roast chicken with chorizo stuffing and wilted kale and hasselback potato, please."

Willow closed her menu and went for her old reliable.

"I'll have steak and fries. Medium-rare. Thanks."

The waiter arched his perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"Do you mean the Rain Crow Ranch grass fed tenderloin filet with triple cooked pommes frites and poêlée de champignons des bois?"

Willow looked at Tara helplessly.

"Is that what I mean?"

"Do you want mushrooms?" Tara asked softly.

"Sure," Willow agreed.

"Yes, that's what she means," Tara said politely, "Thank you."

The waiter gathered the menus.

"Will you be ordering from our list of select wines tonight or can I offer you a locally sourced craft beer?"

"I'll have a glass of the house red," Tara answered.

"And I will have one also," Willow added quickly, then waited until the waiter was out of hearing distance, "I was afraid to order anything else. I wonder what the hell they call a vodka and coke? Internationally sourced fermented grain liquor with caramel-coloured, caffeine-infused sugar water, swirled together by child Buddhist monks and served in an artisanal boot!"

Tara pursed her lips to keep her amusement contained.

"I can try the bar if you want something different."

"Thanks, but it's okay," Willow replied, folding her arms gently on the table, "Red goes nice with steak anyway."

"You're becoming quite the wine connoisseur," Tara noticed.

"Enough with the French!" Willow exclaimed with mock-annoyance before smiling softly, "I had a good teacher."

Their wine was brought to them and they clinked their glasses together.

The food followed and despite all the pompousness, was quite delicious. Not worth what they would have had to pay for it if it wasn't covered by the gift card, but very enjoyable for their special occasion.

As the plates were taken away, Willow leaned over the table and took Tara's hands.

"I have dessert for you," she said, suggestively arching her eyebrow, "But it's upstairs."

Tara leaned in.

"Why don't we splurge on a couple of glasses of champagne seeing as we haven't had to pay for anything else?"

Willow winked.

"That sounds great. Meet me upstairs with them?"

"Sure," Tara agreed.

Willow went off and Tara went up to the bar to order their glasses. It took ten minutes but she tried to let it slide off her and not set the best part of their evening off to a bad start.

Finally two long flute glasses were presented to her and she tried not to baulk at the price as she paid. She rode the elevator back up to their floor, shook her hair out at the door, then rapped her knuckles against it carefully so as not to spill any champagne.

Willow opened it a moment later, wearing a hotel robe very loosely tied and visibly opened at the chest.

Tara immediately felt a stirring down south.

"Oh, hello."

"Hello to you, too," Willow replied seductively, stepping aside to let Tara in, "I ran us that bath you talked about."

She closed the door behind Tara, took the glasses and led her into the bathroom. The bath was run with bubble bath and had three rose-shaped candles lighting along the side. On the shampoo shelf was a box of chocolate covered strawberries.

"These are your presents," Willow said with a tad bit of nervous lilt in her voice.

Tara picked up one of the candles and lifted it near her face. She felt the flame's warmth and got the light scent emanating from it.

"Did you make them?" she asked, impressed.

Willow nodded keenly.

"Uh huh, and I made the chocolate covered strawberries with the fondue set you got me."

Tara left the candle back down, took the glasses and put them with the strawberries and took Willow's hands.

"This couldn't be more perfect."

Willow approached Tara and pulled on the neckline of her dress.

"It could be a little more perfect…"

Tara pulled the tie on Willow's robe the rest of the way free, then lifted her own dress over her head. Willow shrugged off the robe while Tara shrugged off her bra and shimmied out of her panties.

They sat into the tub on opposite sides, took a glass of champagne each and set the strawberries on the little jutting out piece of ceramic between them.

"Happy Anniversary," Willow said, raising her glass.

Tara tilted her glass.

"Happy Anniversary, my love."

They clinked their glasses and Willow washed hers down with a chocolate-coated strawberry. She saw Tara watching her eat, so did it slow and really wrapped her lips around it.

When she finished, she reached over with one to feed Tara, wiping away some errant chocolate as it flaked off against her lips. As her thumb brushed past Tara's bottom lip, she closed the rest of the gap and kissed Tara soundly.

Tara suckled Willow's lip and when they parted, Willow stayed close.

"Where do you think we'll be on our next anniversary?" she asked softly.

Tara found Willow's lips again and enjoyed their fizziness from the champagne.

"I don't know…and I don't care…as long as it's together."


	35. Chapter 35

Tara shrugged the paper bag of groceries up in her arms to stop it from falling under her as she ascended the steps towards the apartment.

When she got to the door, she tried to balance the bag with one hand to retrieve her key, but when her apples almost went flying she just leaned in and rapped her knuckles against the door instead.

Willow opened it after a few moments, smiling cheerily.

"Hey you."

Willow kissed Tara's cheek and closed the door behind them, then went to a basket of half-folded clean clothes on the table and continued folding them.

Tara couldn't help but return the smile as she passed by to get the groceries into the kitchen.

"Hello to you, lovely. I've never seen you so happy to do laundry," she commented, looking at Willow curiously as she got her apples safely put in the fruit bowl, "What're you smiling about?"

Willow grinned mysteriously for a moment, but she couldn't help but blurt it out.

"I got a job!"

"You did?" Tara asked, delighted, "That's so great. I didn't even know you were interviewing."

"I wasn't," Willow replied giddily, "Spotted a 'help wanted' sign in a convenience store. They needed a night clerk and I'm it!"

Tara paused with the bread still half in the bag.

"…night?"

Willow nodded eagerly.

"I know it'll take a while to get used to, but it's good money and hey, it's a job. Which I was starting to think I'd never get since my only reference is 'she's a customer-abusing liability'."

"Right," Tara replied, trying not to show her uncertainty.

"It's a good thing," Willow gushed, "Because fewer customers equal less pressure equal less likely for Willow to blow her top. I'll have to unload deliveries and restock and man the register for the fewer customers that do come in. And the owner didn't even check my references, saw previous experience in Starbucks and hired me. I don't think he even noticed it was only for a couple of weeks. It's perfect!"

"It…sure sounds it," Tara replied, trying to sound enthusiastic, "Where is it?"

"A store in Roxbury," Willow answered.

Tara's eyebrow arched.

"Roxbury? What were you doing in that part of town?"

Willow was bouncing on her feet and clearly on top of the world from her productive day.

"Doing Brian a favour. He had a rare comic book they'd only hold 'til the end of the day and couldn't get off work before 6."

Tara trashed the empty grocery bag, regretting she had forgotten her reusable one.

"That was nice of you."

Willow juggled with the balled up socks, oblivious to Tara's uneasy manner.

"I wasn't doing anything and he paid for me to get lunch. Got a burrito with extra guac and Mexican lemonade. Ate it on a little bench, in a park. There were kids playing in the playground. It was nice."

"It's 40 minutes away," Tara commented, a little abruptly.

"An hour at night," Willow corrected, still beaming as if she wasn't talking about an extended journey on public transport, "A train and a bus or two buses."

"That's a long commute," Tara reasoned.

Willow barked out a laugh.

"I've sent out a million resumes, had a handful of interviews and one, ONE, actual job that I was promptly fired from. I'd commute to Connecticut if I had to. This is a breeze in comparison and it's 6 days at various times between 9pm to 9am depending on what other cover there is, so it's good money."

Tara tried not to balk at the hours or the days.

"Well…you know I'm very proud of you," she said, hesitating for a moment before continuing, "We won't get to see much of each other."

Willow settled the socks and looked up at Tara.

"I'll have a day off…not consistently, but we'll at least get an evening together and hopefully sometimes it's a weekend day."

Tara could see her doubt was starting to seep into Willow and she knew she had to quash it immediately.

"It's great. I'm so happy for you. And so proud of you."

"You are?" Willow asked hopefully.

Tara opened her arms to offer a hug.

"Of course I am."

Willow hurried over to accept it, squeezing Tara tight.

"That's all I want; you to be proud of me."

Tara kissed the top of Willow's head.

"I've always been proud of you."

"Well now you can be extra-extra proud," Willow replied happily.

Tara pulled back to hold Willow by the shoulders. She looked her in her eye.

"I am. I mean that."

And she did.

She'd support Willow all day, every day.

And every night.

* * *

Tara rinsed off the last dish from dinner and left it in the dishwasher. She added the detergent and set it to the light cycle.

As she finished off cleaning the kitchen by wiping down the counters, Willow came out from the bedroom in a green polo shirt and black slacks. She lifted her messenger bag from the table and put it across herself.

Tara dropped the cloth in the sink and held back a sigh, instead offering a smile.

"Leaving already?"

Willow nodded.

"Have to get there early for my first day…night…get shown the ropes. And, you know, buses aren't always reliable and stuff."

Tara nodded back.

"Of course."

Willow stopped adjusting her bag and looked over to Tara.

"Are you okay?"

Tara forced her lips to remain quirked upwards.

"I'm just great," she said and walked around to offer Willow an encouraging kiss on the cheek, "Lots of luck, sweetie."

"Thanks," Willow replied, holding onto the strap on her bag like a freshman on the first day of school, "So I guess I'll see you in the A.M."

"I will see you then," Tara confirmed.

She pecked Willow again and waved her goodbye before shutting the door as Willow left.

She stared at the empty room for a few moments before pushing herself off the door again.

She flopped down on the couch, exhaled slowly and grabbed the remote to acquaint herself with her new evening companion.

* * *

Two rickety bus rides later, Willow arrived not far away from her new place of employment.

The streets were dark and a couple of street lights were out, so she hurried around the corner to the convenience store.

The overhead lights flickered as she walked in and a little bell rang. She hoped that wouldn't get annoying.

She braced herself and walked over to the sales counter.

There were two men behind it; one, a young looking high school or college student, staring ahead, bored and the other a man in his mid-late twenties, seeming uninterested as he tried to unjam the cigarette machine.

Willow approached nervously, playing with the strap on her bag.

"Hi…I'm Willow."

The younger one blinked once at Willow, in what would have seemed patronising if he wasn't radiating such palpable teenage indifference.

Willow shifted on her feet and tried not to seem intimidated.

"I'm supposed to start work tonight."

The cigarette machine rattled and a mangled pack of Camels fell out the end. The older guy turned at the same time.

"Oh, new girl. You're early. Great," he said as he inspected the cigarettes, not really looking at Willow.

He tossed the cigarettes to the other guy, but took one out to tuck behind his own ear.

"Knock off in a few if you want," he said, then added on quietly, "Let me get this newbie started."

The other guy nodded in acknowledgement and pocked the cigarettes quickly. Willow hoped he was at least old enough to buy them legally, but she was pulled away from the situation into the back room before she could ponder it too much.

"Door code is 9321. You got that?"

Willow bristled at the abruptness but quickly nodded, thankful she had an eidetic memory when it came to facts and figures.

The man flicked his wrist towards a little cubby hole in the corner.

"You can leave your stuff in there."

Willow wasn't entirely confident for the safety of her possessions, but reasoned she didn't have much choice. She pushed her bag in with her coat on top so she'd know if anyone tampered with it.

She turned back around and the guy had stepped up close to her, so much so that Willow jumped back in fright. She at least was close enough to read his name tag, Jon.

Jon wasted no time as he began to jab at things on the large noticeboard.

"Shift calendar, stock sheet, delivery sheet. That tells you what needs restocking and when. You'll do inventory twice a week and the manager – that's me – will arrange deliveries. There's the checklist for what needs to be cleaned. Cleaning supplies are in this closet."

He banged on the door of a small utility closet.

"Safe is in there too. Same code as the door."

He headed towards the door and knocked on a machine attached to the wall.

"Clock in, clock out. Find your name."

Willow found her sheet and pulled it in and out of the machine. It clicked her timestamp into place and she returned it to the slot.

Jon was already heading out the door, so Willow had to rush after him. He brought Willow out into the store again and nodded for the teenager to head off, who pretty much ran out of there before he changed his mind.

Jon rushed Willow right over to the cash register and spent no more than 10 seconds conducting a swift example transaction.

"This is the register. Money in, money out, receipt. Don't leave it open between sales."

Only for that it was the same kind of register she used in Starbucks, Willow would have been completely lost.

"You know how to face off?" Jon asked as he was still ripping the receipt from the printer.

Willow nodded.

"Sure."

"Great. Do that," Jon replied, scrunching the receipt and tossing it in the trash, "That should be it for tonight. Mostly only get truckers or insomniacs at night. The cameras are only for show, so make sure you give the right change. Can't back you up in a dispute. Got it?"

"I…yes," Willow replied, trying very hard not to make it sound like a question.

Jon disappeared into the back room again and returned moments later popping his collar on a jacket.

"Are you leaving?" Willow asked, dumbfounded.

Jon paused and looked at her, annoyed.

"You were told there's only one sales associate on staff at night, right?"

"Right," Willow replied with a nod, then added on in a mutter, "Just didn't know I was being thrown into the deep end."

Willow didn't know if Jon heard or not, but he didn't seem to care.

"You'll get relieved at 6am."

He didn't even say goodbye and disappeared out through the doors, clicking the button on his keys to open his car.

Willow stared out the window as he drove away.

"Thanks for the very thorough induction."

It was the most half-assed training she could have imagined, but Willow had already sensed she was working in a bit of a half-assed place. She would take what she could get, though, and knew things like registers, inventory and stocking appealed to her non-customer based retail skills, if not necessarily her passions.

There were certainly worse ways to spend a paid shift of work.

 _Like hard labour. In prison._

The store was eerily empty, so Willow dashed in to check the cleaning schedule. She had it memorised in thirty seconds and brought out the mop to start on the floor, which was plenty sticky from the at least one day's worth of feet dragged along it.

She guessed others had not-so-religiously stuck to the schedule, but that wasn't about to put her off. If it was written, she would do it. She was excited to be able to bring home some extra bacon to Tara.

She cleaned the grease off the hot dog machine, wiped every ledge she could find and faced off every single packet, can and bottle in the store. All without a single customer coming through the doors.

It was pushing into the very wee hours of the morning and Willow was starting to struggle to stay awake. She'd made a strong coffee but it was like sludge and she couldn't stomach it. Instead, every so often she'd flick herself with water and give her cheek a little slap.

At some stage, at a very dark hour, the bell above the door rang and Willow realised she was very glad it was there as she had been dangerously close to nodding off. Having the whole store robbed on her first night because she fell asleep would have been a less than ideal start to her new job.

A large man in a trucker hat squeaked through the store, filling a 32 ounce cup with soda and concealing two hot dogs under multiple layers of mustard and relish.

Willow tried not to grimace as she rang up the sale and wondered if she should be charging extra for the sheer amount of condiments, but there was no button for that, so she didn't.

She checked the change, ripped the receipt and handed it all back.

"Thank you, come again," Willow said, then frowned, hoping she hadn't inadvertently put on a bad Indian accent too.

Another male customer, young with messy hair and bloodshot eyes stomped in and pushed his way to the counter.

"Gimme 20 Marlboro," he grumbled.

Willow realised she hadn't been shown how to use the cigarette machine, but she was able to figure it out after looking at the buttons for a minute.

She placed them on the counter and he scoffed.

"I said reds you dope."

Willow was pretty sure he hadn't and didn't like being sneered at.

"Hey," the trucker, who had been on his way out, chirped up, "You be polite to the young lady."

The man snarled in his direction.

"Or what?"

The trucked took a step towards them and the man suddenly panicked. He grabbed the 'wrong' cigarettes, threw cash down and ran out. Willow tendered the sale and put the change in the little 'leave a penny, take a penny' bowl.

"Thank you," she said graciously to the trucker.

He tipped his hat politely and went back into his truck. Willow smiled at the encounter, grateful for her knight in the peaked hat.

She felt bad for her attitude towards his mustard and vowed to never make a condiment based judgement on a person again.

An hour before she was due to get off work, she started in on replenishing the hot beverage machines, the pastry oven and the breakfast sandwich bar. She loved making everything sit so neatly, even knowing it wouldn't be long before it was destroyed again. It felt good to have pride in her work.

Just as first bright began to shine in through the windows, a pale girl with long black hair came in wearing much the same uniform as Willow, but a lot more dishevelled. She looked tired as she walked forwards.

"You must be the new night clerk."

Willow lifted her hand in a wave.

"Yeah. Willow. Hi."

The girl gave her a withering look.

"Better you than me."

Willow's brow furrowed and the girl just let out a long sigh. She looked all around and seemed somewhat pleased with how she found the place.

"You restocked. Thanks," she said, then nodded behind the counter, "Did you balance your register?"

Willow blinked a few times.

"Umm…"

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Let me guess. No one bothered to show you?"

Willow's silence answered the question and the girl came behind the counter.

"I can't wait 'til I transfer from community college so I can get out of this place," she muttered, "Let me show you."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Willow said gratefully.

The girl showed Willow the process and printed the point of sale tally. She switched out the registers and handed Willow hers.

"Go count this, make sure it matches. Then put it in an envelope in the safe."

Willow went into the back room to count out the register safely and was happy to see it balanced. She secured it away, double checked the safe door and stood for a moment to catch herself and appreciate a first shift well done.

She got her things from her cubby and got her jacket on before heading out again.

"You clock out?" the girl asked.

"Yes," Willow nodded and lifted her fingers in a wave, "Um, have a nice day."

The girl paused to look up at her.

"Hey…good luck."

"…thanks?" Willow replied unsurely, hesitated for a moment, then left.

The cool morning breeze hit her face and made her step up her pace to get around the corner to the bus stop. As she rounded it, she saw one sitting there and ran to catch, delighted when she jumped on moments before the doors closed.

Pleased to not have to sit in the cold, she sat near the front so she could jump off when her first stop came about.

The first bus was only fifteen minutes, which she spent catching up on her social media on her phone, but the second was forty and she found it hard not to snuggle up in a corner to close her eyes.

The last thing she needed was to miss her stop, so she ended up offering her seat to a standing woman. She stood and the regular jostling kept her more than alert to get off at the stop on the end of their street.

She walked up to their building and pressed the code to get in, but was confused when she couldn't open the door. She tried several more times, growing ever frustrated, until she realised she was putting in the door code for the store.

She blushed and looked around as if someone was ready and waiting to laugh at her, then finally entered the right code and stepped inside. She checked the mail and brought it up to the apartment, where she snuck in quietly as she knew Tara would be getting her last few minutes of sleep.

She left her things down quietly on the table and saw a plate with a sandwich wrapped up there, along with a sticky note in the shape of a heart.

 _I hope your first night went well.  
Eat up. You know I don't like you not getting a lunch break.  
Love you lots.  
T_

Willow hadn't realised how hungry she was and tore into the sandwich. It was her favourite, turkey and Swiss with the perfect amount of mustard.

 _Mr Trucker Man was nice but Tara definitely has mustard ratios down pat._

She finished the sandwich off in less than two minutes and decided she was just going to head straight to bed. She brushed her teeth, stripped down to her panties and very carefully slid under the covers.

Tara turned over as Willow got into bed and her arm instinctively went around her girlfriend's waist. Her senses were stirred by more warmth in the bed and her eyelids softly flickered open.

She smiled lazily and reached up to brush a strand of hair from Willow's brow.

"Hey…"

Willow cuddled in and pressed a kiss into the crook of Tara's neck.

"Go back to sleep, baby. You don't need to get up yet."

Tara settled her cheek on Willow's chest.

"How'd it go?"

Willow relaxed as she curled some of Tara's hair between her fingers.

"Yeah, good. Definitely not as…corporate as Starbucks, but that's okay. Only had about three customers all night."

Tara nuzzled on the spot, much happier not to be in bed alone any longer.

"I'm so glad it went well, sweetie."

As she nuzzled she became aware of how bare Willow's skin was. She turned her lips in and pressed a kiss above Willow's breast.

Her sleepy eyes glanced upwards to Willow, who looked back with her lips slightly parted.

Tara returned a sloping smirk and quickly looked at the clock to assess how much time they had. She arched her eyebrow suggestively, then continued kissing the bottom of Willow's collarbone and began to slowly disappear downwards under the blanket.

Willow's head lolled back softly into the pillow. Her eyes closed to focus on the hum of her body as Tara's lips left their whisper of caresses on her skin.

She felt the smooth rush of fabric down her legs as Tara pulled her panties off, then the warm press of Tara's hands on her thighs.

Her thighs were parted and Willow knew she was wet already. She struggled not to try and squeeze them back together.

Her hips made an occasional squirm as Tara kissed her thighs and she began vocalising loud moans when gentle nibbles were brought into play.

Tara loved the sound of a Willow-moan in the morning and slid her hand up to Willow's stomach, lightly raking her nails there.

She felt the muscles jump and Willow's thighs tremble while more arousal easily spilled out.

Her tongue fell out at the crease of Willow's thigh and teased her lips. She felt their little quiver and soothed them with a long, thorough lick.

Willow fell open immediately and Tara had a good view, even under the cloak of the sheet.

Her belly bubbled with desire and one arm wrapped around Willow's thigh. It kept Willow open and gave Tara some leverage as she moved her head into position.

A moan burst through Willow's teeth as she felt the first flash of warmth on her clit. Her hips began to move, looking for more.

Tara obliged and didn't make Willow's exhausted self wait. She tongued Willow's clit and used her lips to add in extra sensation. It didn't take long for the hand on her head to appear, just to make sure she wouldn't let up.

Willow's hand floated above the sheet, pressing Tara in every so often when she hit a particularly sensitive spot.

The muscles in her thighs clamped and released and soon her breath was growing short. She bit her lower lip inside her mouth but quickly let go when the orgasm rushed through her, taking the breath from her lungs.

Tara stayed where she was and massaged Willow's stomach to help unwind the last of that tension. After a few moments passed, she quickly wiped her mouth on the sheet and popped out above.

Willow brought the backs of her hands up to wipe her brow as Tara emerged. Willow stared at her for a moment in awe, then grabbed her cheeks and pulled her down to kiss.

She pulled at Tara's sleep tank and underwear until their bodies could welcome each other in a grind.

Tara kissed down into Willow's neck, her body writhing with great need. Willow enjoyed the luxurious press of Tara's body for several moments before she reached down between them and found her girlfriend's clit.

Tara gently bit Willow's neck, who groaned with pleasure. Tara was plenty wet, so Willow slid down and entered her slickly.

Tara squeezed Willow tightly inside and lifted herself up so she was straddling her.

Willow's eyes greedily roamed Tara's form but a gentle hip bucking from her girlfriend got her back on track quickly. She angled her hand and started to thrust, while Tara used her body to set the pace she wanted.

Tara dropped her hands to Willow's chest and gently fondled her breasts. She closed her eyes and took some generous squeezes.

Willow almost grimaced at a particularly hard squeeze, but understood moments later when Tara sat right back and really started to ride her, clearly cresting on a wave.

She watched Tara lose herself, hands tangling in her own hair, then gently tugging it in a desperate need to release any tension.

Willow watched Tara's hard nipples bounce on her chest and lifted herself into a sitting position to get her mouth around them.

Tara cried out and her hands gripped Willow's shoulders. A few quick thrusts of her hips into Willow's lap later and she crumbled into her girlfriend with a keening moan in her ear.

Willow kissed Tara's neck a few times before collapsing back onto the bed, the exhaustion starting to get the better of her.

Just as Tara was able to pull in a steady breath, the alarm began its shrill bleating.

Tara's hand went out to turn it off and she rested her hand there for a moment until she was sure her legs would work.

She leaned down and left a lingering kiss on Willow's sleepy face.

"Goodnight, honey. See you later," she said, before swinging her legs off the bed.

"Nigh'," Willow mumbled, breath already starting to even out.

Tara went off to start her day, while Willow settled down to end hers.


	36. Chapter 36

**Clauxx** — Are you right with your predictions? ...you'll have to read to find out ;)

* * *

Tara watched Willow pack her work bag, an all-too-familiar sight.

The days had turned into a monotonous drudge of coming home from work, eating while Willow showered and dressed for work, going to sleep alone and maybe fitting in a quickie in the intervening time between when Willow got home and Tara had to get up for work again.

She knew Willow's work schedule was going to be difficult, but it was really starting to get her down. Willow had been so happy when her first pay check showed up and took so much pride in helping contribute towards bills that Tara hadn't burdened her with her feelings. She did, however, try to coax some time out of her girlfriend whenever she could.

"We're doing an Easter egg hunt for some of the kids in group homes this Sunday. Want to come along? I thought you could show the kids your science trick with the egg in the bottle."

Willow tucked the granola bars she was able to eat behind the counter when there were no customers about, into the side pocket of her bag.

"I have to work that evening and the night before. I'll be catching up on sleep. Sorry."

"Well could you take a day off for Passover, then?" Tara suggested hopefully, "You could make your Bubbe's Matzo Ball Soup."

Willow looked up, jadedly.

"Tara, I can't. I'm sorry. Some other time."

"Every time seems bad for you lately," Tara commented, her hands turning anxiously in front of her, "We haven't had any time together in weeks."

Willow bristled, thinking Tara was referring to her last day off when there had been promises of a steamy night, but she nodded off before anything had happened.

"Look, I'm sorry I fell asleep the other night but I had a long week. I'll have a day off sometime next week and we can hang out, okay?"

Tara put her hands on the back of a chair to stop them fidgeting.

"You've been saying that for six weeks."

"It's not my fault our days off have clashed," Willow returned sharply.

Tara straightened up at the abrupt tone.

"I'm not blaming you."

Willow zipped up her bag, aggressively.

"Have you forgotten my paycheck let us pay off all of our bills in advance? I didn't take a single penny for myself."

Tara didn't know when the tide had turned into a fight, but she didn't like it.

"You insisted we do that, I told you to buy yourself something nice!" she defended, her voice starting to tinge with upset, "Why are you attacking me?"

"Because I'm working my ass off for us in a dump and you won't get off my case!" Willow replied with frustration.

"I'm asking to spend one god damn day together," Tara said though a breath of annoyance but tried to rein it back in, "I miss you."

Willow sighed.

"Tara, I'm given shifts, I have to work them. I don't have any control over this. Don't you understand? I understand when you have to be on call. You were on call on freakin' Thanksgiving _and_ Christmas last year."

Tara held up her hands helplessly.

"I'm just worried. I see what happened when I was overworking happening again. What do you want me to do, just sit back and keep my mouth shut?"

"Well, that'd be a good start," Willow snapped.

Tara looked like she'd been slapped.

"If I didn't love you so damn much I would!"

She marched into the kitchen, just trying to get away, and ended up fussing over folding and refolding a dishcloth.

Willow knew she'd gone too far but with a furtive look at her watch, she didn't have the time to address it.

"I have to—"

"Just go," Tara interrupted without looking up.

Willow put her bag over her chest, took a step towards the door, then looked back.

"I love you, and I'm sorry."

Tara didn't answer, and Willow lingered on. She needed to go, but she couldn't leave that spot.

"Don't go to bed mad, right? That's your rule."

Tara continued staring downwards.

"Maybe it's easier than going to bed alone."

"Do you think I don't miss you too, I can't stand—" Willow started but had to catch herself when she almost burst into tears, "I can't do this now. I have to go."

"Bye," Tara said, sadly.

Willow still couldn't make her feet move.

"Are you mad at me?"

Tara just dejectedly shook her head. It broke Willow's heart in two.

"I'll see you later?" she said, shifting between one foot and the other uncomfortably.

"Bye, Willow," Tara echoed, eyes still downcast.

Willow watched as Tara's eyes creased shut and then as the tears spilled out.

"Tara."

She strode over and kissed Tara's cheek, then gently wiped her tears away. Tara leaned into Willow, then pulled her into a tight hug.

"I-I love you," she said through a sniffle.

"I love you, too," Willow replied softly, and pulled back to look Tara in the eye, "The next chance I get we'll sit down and talk properly, okay? I promise."

Tara nodded but wasn't too convincing. Willow stalled for a moment, then put up a single finger.

"Wait there," she said and disappeared into the bedroom, returning moments later with Tara's bunny, Mr Hoppy, whom she presented to her, "Will he do until I come back?"

Tara offered a hint of a smile as she took her soft toy and held it to her chest.

"Yeah."

Willow rubbed Tara's arm gently and affectionately.

"Have a good night, okay?"

Tara nodded.

"You too."

Willow kissed Tara's cheek one last time, squeezed her shoulder and reluctantly headed out into her nightly grind.

* * *

Tara woke up early, so early that Willow wasn't even home from work yet.

She'd showered and washed her hair the night before so she wouldn't have to face the spray of water so early, a shuddering thought. She was very much appreciating that decision as she forced herself out of bed. Somewhat groggily, she just about managed to pull on the bright dress and leggings she'd left out, chosen for their festive Easter colours.

Originally she had been asked to come along to the Easter egg hunt the group homes of the area ran for all the kids as a chaperone, but since she had so much free time lately, she'd also offered to set up and help run the day too.

She'd spent multiple evenings making crafts, planning tasks like egg and spoon races and pin the tail on the bunny, writing clues for the hunt and sourcing places in the city she could buy the supplies to pull it all off. That was before the meetings where she had to beg for the budget and then work with the miniscule one given. She'd put a good chunk of her own money into it too.

Her first task was to prepare the gallons of lemonade to quench the thirst of the energetic kids and frazzled adults that would be there. It was another job she'd hoped to get through the night before, but their fridge was packed and wouldn't have been able to hold it all.

She reasoned it was a good complaint, as there had been weeks of scarcity when opening the fridge brought nothing but a mouldy block of cheese staring back at you, and so she didn't grumble as she took out the lemons and sugar syrup. She had actually managed to make that early, which cut some labour out of her task.

She had several large Tupperware containers and a cool box to transport it all, and a big bowl to juice the lemons into.

Tara blinked a few times at the mountains of lemons gracing the kitchen counter, then just pushed on and got them juiced.

Her hands ached when she was done, but there was no time to waste and no Willow to offer a quick massage. She spread the lemon juice between the containers, added in ice, then the syrup and water to fill. She made sure it tasted fine, then scooped a small jug out and left it in the fridge for Willow to have when she came home.

She made Willow up a sandwich, as she did every day her girlfriend worked, since she preferred to eat light and crash and have a dinner in the afternoon or early evening. She left a note with it, as she also did every time, and mentioned the lemonade.

Willow loved when Tara made homemade sweet tea or lemonade, so Tara hoped it would be a nice treat for her.

She transferred each of the containers to the cool box, sealed it up and took the handle to pull it behind her. She was glad it had wheels, as there was plenty of weight even just tugging it.

She grabbed her purse, made sure the keys to the office were there and lugged her gallons of lemonade down to the street and onto the T. Thankfully it was early enough that it wasn't too busy and nobody paid attention to what she was doing.

When she arrived at the office, she signed out the car and got the lemonade tucked away in the trunk, much to her arm's relief.

As she drove out, she thought of where she could stop to grab a coffee and realised it wouldn't be too out of her way to visit Willow's store. She'd never been there before, but she knew where it was it relation to the T stop so it shouldn't be too difficult to find.

As long as it took on public transport, it was actually only a 15 minute drive with no traffic and it made Tara wish they had a car to ease Willow's commute.

She parked on the curb and made sure to lock the car as she stepped out. The street was kind of shabby but seemed mostly residential and so Tara hoped, safe. Tara was glad the mornings were getting brighter earlier so Willow didn't have to walk the streets in the dark. She had made it a condition that Willow text her when she arrived every evening for the same reason.

She looked up at the store and the signage that had worn away.

It was a pretty desolate place and as Tara walked in, everything seemed to creak. It wasn't actually a bad place, just seemed to sag with years of deterioration and lack any kind of brightness; in its decor or its energy.

Willow's description of 'dump' seemed accurate; the placed seemed to have just been dumped there and left with little attention since.

She went over to the coffee machine and knew before it had even finished pouring she wasn't going to drink the mud-like liquid that came out, but was too polite to leave it. She brought it to the girl at the counter and sought the cash from her wallet.

"Willow here by any chance?" she asked politely.

The girl tendered Tara's change and handed it back.

"She left about an hour ago."

Tara nodded; she had figured that already since she knew Willow worked alone. She tilted her cup in acknowledgement.

"Thanks."

She waited until she was outside to dump the cup and drove to a more reliable chain store with a branded machine. She thought of texting Willow to tell her of the encounter with the sludge-disguised-as-coffee and give her a laugh, but she didn't want to risk it in case her girlfriend had just nodded off.

Instead, she drove straight on to the group home she'd been working with and around the back. There was a shed in the yard where Tara had been gathering supplies. She quietly turned the car off, popped the trunk and put the back seats down to open up the space. As she was doing it, the back door to the normally rowdy but now completely silent house opened.

A tall man in slacks and a shirt with a dishcloth over his shoulder stuck his head out and waved.

"Hey Tara. Early riser?"

Tara straightened up and wiggled her fingers back.

"Hey Caleb. Just going to get everything set up. I know the kids are still asleep, I'll be quiet."

Caleb kicked a wooden wedge in the door to keep it in place and walked out.

"Let me help. Oh wait, you need the key."

He slipped inside and returned with a small padlock key, which he used to open the shed.

"Once the kids got wind there was chocolate in here, we had to lock it up. You may be down a piece of candy or two."

The shed was filled with collapsible tables and chairs, crates of candy and crafts, and lots of old boxes with cheap or homemade games.

They had to pack the car like it was a game of Tetris, slotting things into wherever they would fit. Finally everything was in and the car was practically bulging.

"I think every inch of space in this thing is taken," Caleb said as he wiped his hands off each other.

Tara puffed out a breath.

"I'll be happy if it isn't run off its wheels."

"We're bringing the kids down at 11, right?" Caleb asked.

Tara nodded.

"Thanks for the help."

"Happy to," Caleb replied, lifting his hand in acknowledgement as he headed back to the house, "See you then."

Tara got back into the driver's seat and could _just about_ see out the back enough to drive. The park was close by and she was able to find parking, but it was even harder to lug everything out than it had been to put them in.

She set up the tables around the area they'd marked off for the egg hunt and laid out the various crafts; the colouring pages, the bunny ears making, the egg painting and the baby chick made out of felt station, accommodating kids of every age and concentration level.

The games were very easy to set up; Tara just had to put markers down to mark out race lines and write little placards indicating the various games. She pinned a drawing of a bunny she'd done to a tree for pin the tail on the bunny and finally only had to hide the eggs for the hunt.

She took a five minute break to down one a glass of her lemonade before taking the little woven basket of eggs on her arm and began spying out hiding places.

A while passed before she took the last small chocolate egg wrapped in foil and hid it under a bush. Her hand reached in for another, but when it just brushed against the material, she realised she was finished.

She stood up from her knees, brushed herself off and went over to fill up the now empty basket with more candy – the prize for the winner of the hunt.

The moment she finished, she spotted someone walked towards her.

"Hey Tara," Alice greeted warmly, two Styrofoam cups in her hand.

"Oh, hi," Tara replied.

Alice had a look around, nodding.

"Here to help."

Tara smiled to herself; it was typical Alice would show up the second everything was done.

"I just finished planting the eggs, but the kids will be here soon."

Alice looked relieved not to have to exert herself on a Sunday morning.

"Great, gives us a chance to down these before the chaos."

She thrust one of the cups towards Tara, who took it and held its warmth between her hands.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. There's some chairs over here."

Alice unfolded two chairs for them and sat with her face towards the sun.

"Need to absorb some of that energy before the mob arrives," she said, then pushed her shades on top of her head and looked at Tara, "How have you been?"

Tara nodded non-committedly.

"I'm okay."

"Once more with feeling?" Alice asked with a smirk, but it left when Tara didn't reply, "That bad?"

"No," Tara replied with a sigh, "Just…finding Willow's job difficult to…work around."

Alice nodded.

"Night shifts suck, we know that."

Tara tapped her fingers against the cup, looking down.

"I asked her to get today off, or Passover, or any day when I'm off too. She couldn't, or wouldn't;I don't know. I would just like one evening alone with her," she said, then lowered her voice, "And maybe to actual cuddle after instead of rushing off to grab a shower before work."

Alice's face was sympathetic.

"Ouch. That kinda 'bad'."

Tara blushed.

"I just miss her," she said, then wasn't sure if she was annoyed or relieved when she saw the first mini bus roll up, "Looks like the kids are here."

Alice glanced over, then back at Tara.

"If you want to try and set up some split shifts or something, let me know. We'll work something out."

"Thank you so much," Tara replied genuinely, "I need to have a really long chat with her."

Alice patted Tara's knee.

"Good luck."

Tara nodded.

"I think we're both going to need it," she said, then her eyes widened as more kids appeared and they all ran towards them, "And I think _we're_ both going to need it too!"

Immediately there were little hands and feet everywhere, exploring everything set up and trying to steal candy. There was an initial five minutes of craziness, but the carers were great and got everyone organised and split into groups depending on what they wanted to do.

Alice took over the games area with some carers and Tara stuck with the crafts, as she'd designed most of them.

She had a lot of fun helping the kids choose colours to make the brightest egg and fastening their crafted bunny ears around their heads. Some of the teenagers sulked off into the shade, but others joined in and helped the littler kids. Tara made sure to make her appreciation known and slipped them some of the extra candy with a wink.

Tara found the egg hunt the most enjoyable, where the whole park was filled with laughter and elation. There were some minor fights over who found an egg first, but they were resolved quickly by the wonderful care workers.

Tara was exhausted by the time it was all coming to an end, but smiling from ear to ear too. She was happily packing things away as Alice came back, looking plainly exhausted without so much of the enthusiasm.

"They bring so much joy, don't they?" Tara said gleefully.

Alice didn't seem so convinced as she helped Tara.

"You want kids?"

Tara nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah, I do. You?"

Alice shrugged one shoulder.

"I've flirted with the idea, on and off. I think so, though. Need to find a man, first," she said with a self-deprecating smile, "Want to grab a bite?"

Tara checked her watch and was about to refuse when she changed her mind.

"Yeah, sure. Willow's not around, anyway. Caleb said they can take this stuff back in the minivan."

They got everything packed up and Tara drove the car back to the office with Alice tailing her. She signed the car back in and came back down to hop into Alice's passenger seat.

"It's really nice of you to help out with the kids so much," Alice commented as she indicated onto the road again.

Tara just smiled.

"I'm glad I'm able."

"Still," Alice reasoned, having become more involved herself even since Tara started working with her, "Are you good with Thai?"

Tara nodded, hungry after the busy day.

"Good with anything."

Alice took them to a vibrant Thai restaurant in the city and immediately ordered them some wine.

Tara took a long sip when her glass came and sighed.

"It's nice to have dinner with an actual other person."

Alice looked at Tara with, able to see her friend really wasn't herself.

"This is really getting you down, isn't it?"

Tara folded her arms gently on the table.

"It's so hard to talk to her without knocking her confidence. She's so lost on this career path and I can't seem a way to find her."

"She has to find herself," Alice replied sagely.

Tara inhaled and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right," she agreed, "I just don't know how it can be healthy to support something we both hate."

"She doesn't like the job?" Alice asked, not having seen much or any of Willow herself lately.

"She called it a dump, and it is. And she was always a morning person. I know she hates working nights," Tara replied, pained, "But I guess she has to deal with this when I'm call too and I messed her around with the stuff with Abigail. It's selfish of me to complain."

Alice reached across and squeezed Tara's hand.

"No it isn't," she said surely, "But tonight, just try to relax and have a good time. I've ordered us a tasting menu."

She threw Tara a wink, who cracked a smile and clinked their glasses together.

"That's something I think I can do."

They were served delicious food and plenty of it. Tara indulged in bites of every soup, salad, noodle dish and curry that was presented to her. She would have loved to share it with Willow, but the never ending wine that seemed to be poured into her glass did a sufficient job of making her forget.

As she swigged another bit of wine, she stared at Alice with her glassy eyes.

"Why am I drunk and you're not?"

"I'm driving," Alice replied bemusedly, "But you're drinking enough for both of us."

Tara blushed and pushed her glass a smidge away.

"I never asked for a top-up."

"The wine gods must be on your side tonight," Alice said, still grinning, "When was the last time you let your hair down?"

Tara pushed a breath out between her lips.

"Probably the last time I had decent sex," she answered wryly, "If calendars even go back that far."

Alice pursed her lips to stop from laughing and Tara grimaced and dropped her head into her hands.

"That's not fair," she groaned, slapping her cheeks slightly, "Don't tell Willow I said that."

Alice made a lock and key motion on the side of her mouth.

Tara pushed her mango rice dessert away and rubbed the corners of her eyes.

"I think I need to go to bed."

Alice rested her chin on her hands and smiled across.

"I think that's a good idea."

Tara tried to fumble her wallet out of her purse, but Alice tapped her hand and stopped her.

"My treat for all the good work you've been doing."

Tara dropped her wallet back and eyed Alice gratefully.

"Thank you. I really enjoyed it."

"I can see," Alice replied, happy to see Tara letting off some steam, "If it wasn't a Sunday I'd take us out for shots."

Tara snorted.

"Unless you want to carry me home, that's probably never a good idea."

Alice paid, offered Tara the mint and put her arm around her.

"I'll carry you home if you don't throw up in my car."

"That sounds like a deal, Alice Kenter," Tara agreed, grateful for the help when she was slightly unsteady on her feet, "Thanks for being a good friend."

"Tara Maclay, you make it easy," Alice replied fondly and kissed Tara's cheek.

Tara eyed Alice blearily.

"I know I haven't had a good lay in a while but no offense, you're not my type."

Alice burst into laughter on the street and had to stop them for a moment lest she stray them into traffic while she was distracted.

She got them to the car and strapped Tara into the passenger seat. Tara rested her hands on the belt and put her head against the window.

Alice sat in the driver's side, belted up and started messing with the radio.

"What's your drunk song?"

Tara swung her head towards Alice earnestly.

"I don't get drunk that much."

"You can borrow mine," Alice replied, flicking on some Shania Twain with a smirk.

"Let's go girls."

She drove off, tapping her fingers against the wheel.

Tara grinned and her head started to sway in beat with the song. She hummed for a while, and it didn't take long for her to join in.

"The best thing about being a woman is the prerogative to have a little fun…"

In seconds both of them were in the throes of the song; Tara even adding complimentary jazz hands and some riffing.

Alice was in hysterics watching Tara and just about managed to join in again.

"Man! I feel like a woman!"

Tara was a giggling mess and Alice just kept chuckling with her. She parked on the street and made sure Tara got all the way up to her apartment before patting her on the back and leaving her to it.

Tara was smiling and humming as she stepped into the apartment but it waned quickly when the dreariness of the empty space assaulted her.

There was a goodbye note on the table and Tara appreciated the gesture, at least knowing she was in Willow's thoughts.

It wasn't very late but there was nothing compelling enough to keep her up, so she headed for the bedroom.

She kicked off her shoes and collapsed into bed, hoping the alcohol would keep her warm in lieu of Willow.


	37. Chapter 37

**FivebyFive89** — It does, don't worry!

* * *

Willow stared ahead vacantly as she stood behind the cash counter in the store.

She had really been feeling the weight of Tara's unhappiness and it made her realise how miserable she'd been herself.

She had been trying to get hold of the manager to make sure she got a day off that was good for her and Tara, and planned to stay in work the extra hour in the morning until he showed up for his shift so she could make sure it happened.

She was still blindly staring ahead when the bell above the door sounded and a short statured white guy in a hoody walked through. Willow paid him little attention as he sulked through the aisles, pawing the Cheetos and Twinkies.

Eventually he came up to the counter and set down a bottle of Mountain Dew, which Willow rung up.

"Is that all for you this evening?" she asked in a bored tone.

The guy reached into his front pocket and held something in there.

"Empty the register," he said gruffly, like he was trying to disguise his voice but didn't know how.

Willow looked up, utterly confused.

"What?"

The guy suddenly pulled a gun from his pocket and held it oddly, not that Willow noticed much about his posture after it appeared.

"Do it, now!"

Willow's heart leapt into her throat and her shaky hands tried to work the register. Her robber yelled at her to hurry up and tears were streaming down Willow's cheeks as it finally popped open.

He reached over and snatched the cash himself, but there wasn't much there, with just the night float inside.

He cursed and looked back to Willow.

"Where's the safe?"

Willow couldn't think straight and wasn't completely lying when she denied knowledge.

"I, I, I don't know."

The robber's hand shot up and Willow heard something like a click. She screamed silently in terror and imagined Tara's sweet face at her funeral.

"Safe! Now!"

The adrenaline hit and Willow remembered. She rushed out to the safe, her fingers poking the numbers inaccurately as she shook with fear. When it opened, the robber clocked her on her cheekbone to get her out the way. It hadn't cut, but it sure did sting and Willow watched in double vision as he grabbed the cash and fled.

Willow stared ahead in shock for a few moments before she locked herself in the break room and dialled 911.

Thirty minutes later, Willow had just about stopped trembling but the skin around her nails had been bitten into oblivion.

It didn't help when someone started slamming their fists against the break room door.

"Open the damn door. It's Fred! It's the owner!"

Willow got up and carefully opened the door. The owner, a balding middle-aged guy who had bloodshot eyes and an angry face marched in with the tweedy and downright annoying manager behind him.

The owner threw his arms out violently.

"You just left the store wide open!"

Willow's mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"I— there was…there was a holdup."

The manager snickered and the owner rolled his eyes.

"Cops caught up with him three blocks away. Some punk teen. It wasn't even a real gun."

Willow should have been relieved that she had never been in any real danger, but she just felt humiliated.

"It looked real," she said quietly.

"Why didn't you push the panic button?" the owner demanded.

One of Willow's eyebrows arched questioningly.

"What panic button?"

"The one I installed when this place got robbed for the third time!" the owner yelled.

Willow's eyes flashed with anger.

"This happened before?! You don't think that was something I maybe needed to know?!"

The owner shook his hands in her face.

"That's why you were told about the panic button."

"I didn't know there was a panic button!" Willow yelled back, not too subtly beginning to lose her temper.

The owner glanced at the manager, who waved a dismissive hand.

"Of course I showed her."

Willow's mouth hung open.

"No, he didn't!"

"She's been incompetent from day one," the manager sneered, covering his ass for the six whole minutes of training Willow had been given, "I've had three complaints about wrong change on her watch."

"No you have not!" Willow sneered back, wanting to wind up and punch the manager in his smug face, "I've done half your job for you!"

"That's enough," the owner intervened before staring angrily at Willow, "You're suspended for not following proper protocol. Only reason you're not fired is that I got my money back."

Willow took in two short breaths, followed by one long one which gave her some sudden clarity.

"I quit."

She snatched her nametag from her chest and flung it between the two men.

"My girlfriend deserves better than the person I have to be to work this job," she said, her flaming cheeks just growing even more so as she took her things from her cubby, "I deserve better."

She started to march out and the owner got all in a fluster.

"The cops'll want to talk to you!"

"Tell them to bite me!" Willow called back, shooting a furious look over her shoulder for good measure, "And the same to you!"

She ran out of the store and slammed the door and its stupid bell shut behind her. She felt a sudden rush of freedom as the cool night air hit her face.

She was triumphant and jubilant for all of about five seconds before she realised she was out in the middle of the night, right outside the place she'd just been held up in.

The fear ran deep and the trauma refreshed itself. It would be a couple of hours before the bus and T lines opened and Willow didn't want to be outside for another second.

She had a $20 bill in her wallet that she'd saved and had been planning to get Tara a fresh bunch of flowers with on the way home to signal a new start, but she thought her girlfriend would much prefer to see her home in one piece instead.

She hoped, anyway.

She ran around the corner to the nearest taxi rank and hopped into the back. She gave the address and locked each back door manually before finally relaxing again.

With no traffic, she had just enough to cover the fare and tip and didn't wait for change as she pounded the stairs inside and up to their apartment.

Finally feeling really safe, it all hit her again and she walked around in a bit of a daze. She saw a sandwich but didn't want to eat; didn't want to watch TV; didn't want to do anything.

Tara was asleep in bed, but as most nights without Willow it wasn't hugely peaceful. She first heard some creaking, then felt the sag of the mattress as a body sat down near her. She felt a headache creeping in from the well-deserved hangover and prayed it wasn't time to get up already.

She cracked an eye open and recognised her girlfriend's silhouette immediately. She was confused, as it was still pitch dark in the room.

"Willow?" she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

She looked at the clock and the numbers staring back just increased her confusion.

"Willow, what are you doing home? It's the middle of the night."

Tara saw Willow's face slowly turn to her and could see her girlfriend's troubled eyes find hers. She had no time to question it as Willow suddenly burst into tears.

Tara's immediate response was to gather her into her arms.

"Willow," she comforted, "Honey, I'm here. What happened?"

Willow sobbed into Tara's neck for a minute or two before opening her mouth and recounting the last couple of hours of her life in full babble mode. For once in her life she was thankful for the ability, as it was the only way she could have gotten it out with any kind of coherence, even what little it was.

She took in a shaky breath and looked at her girlfriend, pained.

"Tara, I-I'm sorry, I-I quit, I—"

Tara cut Willow off by kissing her tenderly, her fingertips trembling against Willow's cheek as she imagined her girlfriend in such peril. She pulled away and cupped Willow's face with both hands.

"You saved us a fight because there wasn't a chance in hell I was going to let you go back there."

Willow's lip started to quiver and she burst into fresh tears.

"It wasn't even a real gun. I'm such an idiot."

Tara enveloped Willow in her arms and laid her down, pulling her close.

"Come here. You must have been so scared."

She stroked Willow's hair, who didn't quite seem to calm but instead turned frenzied crying into frenzied kisses.

Tara let her for a moment, then gently tried to extract her.

"Willow, Willow," she said, tucking some hair behind her girlfriend's ear, "You're in shock."

Willow's eyes were slightly wild, so Tara tucked her girlfriend under her chin and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Darling, close your eyes. You're safe. You're safe here with me."

It worked as a kind of immersion therapy and slowly Willow's breath began to even out.

"Rest…I love you," Tara encouraged, "I love you so much."

It took a while of Tara keeping almost perfectly still, wrapped around Willow until she felt her girlfriend succumb to the exhaustion of the evening. Tara kissed Willow's temple soft enough not to wake up and didn't move an inch so as not to disturb her.

"I'll keep you safe. I promise."

She watched Willow's sleeping face, but saw it was still creased with tension.

"Oh, love," she whispered.

She put her mouth to Willow's ear and started to sing, so quiet it wasn't even a whisper.

 _Dream baby dream  
Dream baby dream  
Dream baby dream  
Come on and dream baby dream  
Come on and dream baby dream_

 _Yeah I just wanna see you smile_  
 _Now I just wanna see you smile_  
 _Yeah I just wanna see you smile_  
 _Come on dream on, dream baby dream…_

Willow's face smoothed out and Tara knew she was at peace when she heard a soft snore.

She couldn't help but smile, despite everything. She closed her own eyes and took some deep inhalations in. Her arms remained closed around Willow and would do for some hours.

The thought of Willow in such danger made her feel sick, but she couldn't help be pleased that her girlfriend was finally out of that hellhole.

Tara didn't know where her girlfriend's next destination would be, but for that moment, they were both content for it to be Tara's arms.

* * *

Willow woke, sprawled out in bed, not quite remembering getting there.

Her legs shifted and she could feel she only had underwear on. She glanced down and saw her work shirt on and suddenly everything came rushing back.

She gasped and ripped the shirt from her body, throwing it towards the chair in the corner, where she noticed her pants had been neatly folded.

A moment later, Tara — who had heard rustling — appeared in the doorway and approached. She perched on the side of the bed and reached to tuck a piece of hair behind Willow's ear.

"Hey sweetpea."

Willow melted into Tara's touch as Tara cupped her cheek. She felt the flood of shock and fear slowly dissipate.

She swallowed the lump that had formed a few times and in the process became more confused as she saw the mid-morning hour on the clock.

"It's Monday. Why aren't you at work?"

Tara lowered her hand and used it to take Willow's hand in hers.

"I took a vacation day. Promised you I would take a few."

Willow was touched.

"You took a day off for me?"

"Of course," Tara replied sincerely, then her nose scrunched a bit, "I might also be a little bit hungover."

Willow cracked a smile.

"I'm glad one of us had a good time last night."

Tara looked pained and squeezed Willow's hand tight as if to make sure she was really there.

"You rest some more, and we'll spend the afternoon together. Just the two of us."

Willow felt heavy but tried to fight through it.

"I'm sick of sleeping 'til the afternoon."

"I know, but you've had such an ordeal," Tara replied, able to see the exhaustion on her girlfriend's face, "I'll cuddle with you if you want."

Willow let herself be laid back down.

"I always want."

Tara snuggled into Willow's side and noticed her shirt was gone and little goosebumps had appeared on her arms. She put her arms around Willow and rubbed softly.

"Cold, baby?"

Willow rested her head on Tara's chest.

"Not with you here."

She felt so safe and warm, the antithesis of everything that had happened the night before. Before she knew it, she was sobbing quietly into Tara.

Tara held Willow closer.

"Oh, honey."

Willow took in short gasps of air as she let all of the emotion out.

"All I could think about was never seeing you again…and I tried to remember the last time I saw your face…"

She lifted her eyes to meet Tara's.

"A-And I couldn't remember, not properly. I couldn't even remember the last time I kissed you."

Tara moved her hands to hold Willow's cheeks and brought their faces together.

Willow took in a deep inhalation as she gazed into Tara's eyes and manged to exhale it without her lower lip shaking. She leaned in and pressed her lips to Tara's, who wiped her tears and kissed right back.

Willow's heart initially sped up but then evened into a regular, steady beat. She released Tara's lips to take in a breath, but kept their foreheads together.

"I love you."

"I love you," Tara whispered back.

Willow touched Tara's cheek.

"I wanted to be good, for you."

Tara turned her head and kissed Willow's palm.

"You're perfect for me."

It wasn't what Willow meant, but she smiled nonetheless. Her hand floated down to Tara's hip, just enjoying being able to touch her unhurriedly.

"I was trying to do right, but it…it didn't work."

"You put your everything in because that's the kind of person you are and I love you for it," Tara replied, with heart.

Willow came to a realisation and sighed.

"These jobs I'm trying to force myself into…they don't work."

Tara shook her head.

"No, they don't."

Willow closed her eyes for a moment with unease before they flickered up again.

"Something I love won't just fall into my lap. I don't even know what I love. Apart from you."

"Have hope," Tara replied encouragingly.

Willow didn't want to dwell right then.

"Have you," she replied, pecking Tara's lips again, "That's all I really need."

Tara brought Willow into her as she had the night before and rubbed the bare skin over Willow's spine.

She waited for Willow to fall back asleep before extracting herself and going to grab another coffee.

A few more hours passed and Willow woke again, feeling a lot more rested and simply overjoyed about not having to go to work that evening. She swung her legs out and walked over to the dresser to find a shirt and pants to wear.

Her sunny yellow tank top matched the smile on her face as she walked out to the living room. Tara was standing over the stove in the kitchen, stirring a pot. She smiled too when she saw Willow appear.

"Hey. Good timing. I'm making soup."

Willow walked over and embraced Tara from behind, one her most favourite things to do while her girlfriend was cooking.

"Smells good."

Tara hummed softly as she stirred the soup.

"Tell me if I'm asking too much, but I bet one of your famous grilled cheeses would go great with this."

Willow put her chin over Tara's shoulder to look at her.

"Do you really want one of my sandwiches?"

"Definitely," Tara replied with utmost sincerity.

Willow loved being included, and cooking with Tara again. She'd spent many a Saturday batch cooking lunches and freezer dinners with her girlfriend, learning something new every time.

She got the bread and cheese from the fridge and started to prepare. Tara watched her for a moment, glad to see her burden seemed to have eased.

"How're you doing?"

"Good, actually," Willow replied happily as she leaned against Tara to get the pan on, "Love how your hair smells today."

"You're really cheerful," Tara commented, somewhat confused.

Willow just kept smiling.

"An afternoon with you, why wouldn't I be?"

Tara put a hand on the small of Willow's back.

"You had a very traumatic experience."

Willow assembled the sandwiches and waited with the spatula to flip them. She turned to look at Tara properly, inhaling and exhaling the same breath in a moment.

"Yeah, I did. But you know, the real trauma was starting to lose us again. That's a line we've teetered one too many times. It was the lousiest wake-up call in the world, but I needed it. Something had to give. You've worked so hard to make sure there's balance and I need to do the same. Honestly, I want to forget about it. Can we forget about it? The only thing hurt was my pride."

"If that's what you want, honey," Tara replied softly, "But if this is staying with you, promise you'll talk to me?"

Willow leaned over and kissed Tara's cheek.

"Promise. But the whole night clerk endeavour was an exercise in the sometimes stupid Willow brain. I'd really rather if we just never mentioned it ever again. Like, ever."

Tara accepted Willow knew what was best for herself. She was the one with the psych degree, after all.

"Mention what?" she asked breezily.

Willow smiled and bumped Tara's shoulders. Tara returned both gestures.

A couple of minutes later, Tara took two bowls down and ladled some soup into them. She decided to fancy them up a little bit by drizzling some cream, crushing some oyster crackers and putting a sprig of parsley on top.

She brought them to the table and Willow joined her a minute or two later with their sandwiches. She sat to the side of Tara and folded her napkin into her lap.

"Oh wow…this is some bowl of soup! I feel like I'm at the Ritz!" she said enthusiastically, "The grilled cheese is more Motel 6."

Tara pulled her halves apart and dipped the corner in her soup.

"It's delicious."

They ate mostly quietly; Willow was hungry and it was nice to just share a relaxed meal together. When they were finished, Tara brought the dishes in to the kitchen to rinse.

"So what would you like to do? We can stay in, go out…whatever you want," she said with a smile, "Just as long as it's together."

Willow smiled back. She didn't think she'd ever feel this happy to be unemployed.

"Want to go to a movie? They have Monday afternoon specials."

"We haven't been to a movie in _forever_ ," Tara replied, drying her hands on a dishcloth, "I'd love to. What's on?"

Willow stood up eagerly.

"I'll check."

She got her laptop, and sat on the couch while it booted up.

Tara came and sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. She leaned in and pressed kisses to Willow's neck, who sighed softly.

"Tara…"

Tara kissed Willow's ear.

"Can't I enjoy having you around?"

Willow turned to face Tara.

"Of course you can."

Their lips met and moved against each other until the laptop almost fell to the floor. Willow blushed.

"Movies."

Tara licked her lips.

"Right."

Willow pulled up the listings while trying not to let Tara's warm breath on her neck distract her.

"There's a comedy called Date Night. It has Steve Carell and Tina Fey," she read out, "You like Tina Fey. She's the one who did Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live."

Tara ceased teasing Willow and sat back.

"Oh yeah, I do like her. That sounds fun. I'm in. When is it on?"

"In an hour," Willow replied.

"Great. Let's walk over and grab a coffee at the café next door," Tara suggested, "They do the foam art you like."

"My last one looked like a monkey!" Willow grinned, "Let me put nicer clothes on. I'll be right out."

She pecked Tara's cheek and went into the bedroom to change into red jeans and a black button-down shirt. She added one of the necklaces Tara had given to her over the years and brushed her hair through a few times.

She returned and Tara smiled at her.

"You look pretty."

Willow didn't know how Tara could still make her blush after all these years and with so few words, but she did.

"Thanks. You look prettier."

She offered her hand, which Tara took and they walked out together. It was a nice spring day and there was the afternoon feel in the streets without the hustle and bustle of commuters.

Some kids were walking home from school and kidding around and there was no congestion of traffic at the stoplights.

The local theatre wasn't far and was situated right beside an art café that Tara had initially been drawn to, but Willow had grown to love too for their fun presentations of their beverages and food.

They arrived and ordered a coffee each and found a table by the window. After a few minutes, the waitress came carrying their mugs on a tray. She carefully transferred it to the table, where they could see the foam had been made to look like a cat jumping from one cup to the other.

Willow's eyes grew wide.

"Holy shit."

"Willow," Tara said, looking at the waitress apologetically.

The waitress just smiled.

"We get that a lot. Enjoy."

Willow kept staring.

"This literally looks too good to eat."

"Well put the kitty in your cup then, I need some coffee," Tara replied.

Willow reluctantly split the foam and pushed Tara's mug towards her.

"Okay, the coffee is too much to resist."

They enjoyed their beverages, holding hands across the table and letting the mid-afternoon sun stream in and warm their faces.

Ten minutes before the movie was due to start, they went to get their tickets and a large popcorn combo to share.

There were a few other afternoon dwellers in the theatre, but they pretty much had their pick of the seats and decided on two in the back.

Willow settled their popcorn and drink between them and offered her hand again to share the armrest.

Their heads rested together and they settled in to happily enjoy 'Date Night' for their much-needed date afternoon.

* * *

Tara curved her naked front around Willow's back, enjoying every press of their skin against each other.

Their sated bodies clung together, breathing in sync so they didn't have to part for a moment.

Tara brushed her fingers along Willow's arm, down past her wrist to link their fingers together.

"…it's so nice to hold you after."

Willow was savouring the moment too and trying to resist the urge to rut back into Tara.

"It's nice to be held."

She played with Tara's fingers affectionately for a few moments before turning herself on her other side to face her girlfriend. She rubbed her knuckles along Tara's spine, whose eyes fluttered with pleasure at the sensation.

"I never asked how your Easter egg hunt went," Willow brought up easily, "Thanks for the lemonade, by the way. It was delicious."

Tara slid her foot over Willow's shin and settled her head closer to her girlfriend on the pillow.

"It was nice to see the kids have fun."

"I'm guessing the hangover-inducing part came later," Willow replied with a grin, "Vodka cranberries again?"

Tara shook her head.

"Just lots and lots of wine. I didn't even realise I was getting drunk until it happened. Guess I needed to blow off some steam."

Willow's eyebrow arched.

"How much steam are we talking?"

"Oh nothing much…" Tara replied casually, "Dancing on table tops…having my way with the hot barmaid in the alleyway…"

Her lips sloped upwards on one side.

"Getting sloshed over dinner and bursting Alice's eardrums singing country on the way home."

"Sounds more like it," Willow replied dryly, "Well, it was Easter. Wine is appropriate, though I prefer the chocolate myself."

Tara reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind Willow's ear.

"I saved you a chocolate egg."

Willow leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Tara's lips.

"Thank you. I would have brought you home something from the store but…"

Tara's nose scrunched.

"I tried their coffee. No thank you."

"You did?" Willow asked in confusion.

"Called in on my way out yesterday," Tara explained, "In case you were still there."

Willow nodded in understanding.

"I would have warned you."

Tara took Willow's hand and pressed their palms together. She brought Willow's hand up to kiss her knuckles, then looked her right in the eye.

"I'm glad you're out of there."

"I'm glad I was able to get us a little ahead on some bills," Willow returned with a sigh.

Tara leaned in to kiss Willow's forehead.

"Spend the next paycheck on yourself."

Willow just smiled.

"I'm sure I can think of something…maybe for us both."

"Good," Tara replied, though got distracted watching Willow's plump, moving lips, "You know, I have an idea for tonight."

Willow gulped as Tara's lips softly caressed hers, over and over again.

"Oh you do, do you? Just the one?"

Tara moved her hand to palm Willow's hip. She rolled on top of her and sat back to straddle her.

As Willow took in a short breath, the air was pulled from her lungs again as Tara looked back at her with the most lascivious of her sultry smiles.

"Several."

* * *

Tara arrived at work a little early to catch up on some work she'd missed the previous day.

Alice was one of the few already there and had a smile for Tara as she approached her desk.

"Hello."

Tara waved.

"Hi."

Alice sidled up to Tara, conspiringly.

"It was good to see you play a little bad and take a day off for a hangover," she said, throwing Tara a sly wink, "As your friend, not your boss, of course. You're not officially on the clock yet."

Tara left her purse on the desk.

"Actually, um…" she replied, tucking her lunch away in the drawer, "I was taking care of Willow."

"Is she sick?" Alice asked with concern.

Tara sat in her desk and exhaled slowly. She was still a bit shook up from hearing about it.

"She got held up at the store. Scared her half to death. She quit and just needed some TLC."

Alice's eyes grew wide.

"Is she okay?"

Tara nodded slowly.

"She will be."

"Are you okay?" Alice questioned.

Tara offered a smile.

"I will be."

"Well, if I can do anything…" Alice said, genuinely.

"We appreciate it," Tara replied gratefully, "We're both trying to getting back to normality."

Alice patted Tara on the back and returned to her desk.

Tara turned into her computer, checked her files for the day, then sent Willow a quick text to say she was thinking about her while she waited for the computer to boot up.

She got a smiley face and a love heart back and it both made her smile and her heart flutter, as intended.

She was already looking forward to seeing Willow that evening.

It was nice to finally be able to look forward to going home again.


	38. Chapter 38

**Clauxx** — Yes, I think it's definitely for the best she's out of there!

* * *

 **This story is starting to wind up! There'll be three more chapters after this one to conclude the prequel series :)**

* * *

Tara sat on the edge of the bed, checking the alarm for the morning and making sure her phone was connected to charge properly.

She swung her legs into bed and settled her head comfortably on the pillows, watching while Willow played on her phone beside her.

She reached out and caressed Willow's upper arm.

"Your birthday is coming up."

Willow just smiled without looking up.

"Every year you remind me, as if I'm going to forget."

"Because if I left it to you, you wouldn't do anything but ask me to make mac and cheese," Tara countered.

Willow shrugged.

"Your mac and cheese is delicious. If you really want to do something, let's just grab a beer at the bar."

"You really don't want to do _anything_ special?" Tara prompted, hoping for some celebration after the stress of the last few months.

Willow rolled her head towards Tara with a fake exasperated sigh.

"Okay, let's find a _new_ bar with some good entertainment. Music or comedy or something. Does that pass the test?" she asked, voice frustrated, though not with Tara, "This thing is lagging so bad."

She left her phone on her nightstand and opted to cuddle into Tara instead. Tara very much welcomed it and held Willow to her.

"I'll ask around for somewhere nice and see who's in."

"Better push it to the weekend so we can enjoy ourselves," Willow offered, "Ask Becky too, she normally knows what's happening around town…but you know, don't let her choose. Just get suggestions."

Tara leaned in and pecked Willow's cheek.

"That's my girl. I knew you'd get into it."

Willow's cheek lightly flushed where Tara's lips pressed.

"My last paycheck will be in too, so I can at least buy a round of drinks."

"They finally gave it up?" Tara asked, pleased.

Willow's quite dubious former employees had been messing her around with the last of the money owed to her, but they had finally reached an agreement.

"After I agreed to give a statement to the cops."

Tara's brow creased.

"You were going to do that anyway."

Willow grinned. She may have suggested that the police could stick it, but when they actually called she had little choice but to agree. Still, she was at least able to get some leverage out of it.

"They didn't know that."

Tara chuckled.

"Sneaky," she said with the smirk obvious in her voice, "Want me to come to the police station with you?"

Willow waved a hand.

"Nah, it's probably just a bunch of waiting around and telling them what happened. Don't waste your lunchbreak."

"If you're sure, honey," Tara replied with a nod.

Willow cast her gaze toward Tara and turned herself on her side. She brushed her hand down Tara's side.

"About as sure as I am that you're the love of my life."

Willow's lips were close to Tara's, and Tara couldn't help glance at their plumpness.

"How sure is that?"

Willow's eyes sparkled with love in the darkness.

"As sure as I am that the electrolysis of water into oxygen and hydrogen gas is a decomposition reaction."

Tara patted Willow's shoulder.

"I'll take your word for it."

Willow touched her fingertips against Tara's cheek and leaned in so their noses touched.

She let their breath meet for a moment and swirl into one, before kissing her to show her everything words couldn't.

* * *

Willow stepped off the bus onto the street she'd run away from last time she was there.

She looked up and down and didn't see anybody skulking around or lurking in the shadows. She didn't like being back in the neighbourhood of her former place of work, but she knew she had to get this over with.

In a way she was glad things had gone down with the owner like it had, not only because it got her out of there, but because she'd been so angry and embarrassed that there hadn't been much room to be traumatised. When she thought back to it, the only violence she remembered was her own when she threw the name tag.

She hoped that wouldn't come up.

 _Is assault by name tag a thing?_

She crossed the street and made her way into the police station. She looked around for a moment, then knocked up to the nearest desk.

"Uh, hi. I have to give a statement about a robbery."

The female cop looked up, then pulled her keyboard towards her.

"What's your name?"

"Willow Rosenberg," Willow answered.

The officer tapped for a moment, then pushed a clipboard towards her.

"Sign in here and you can wait in room three. Someone will be in with you shortly."

Willow signed a form with her name, address and contact number, as well as ticking the relevant box for her visit. She was pointed in the right direction for the room she was to wait in and took a seat on the cold metal seat.

Minutes ticked by — a lot of them — and Willow was growing ever increasingly impatient.

"Shortly, my ass."

She'd counted the tiles on the ceiling enough times to drive her crazy and tried to pull the handcuff bars on the table clean off so much that her fingers were red and indented.

Finally, another cop came to the door. He was an average sized man who tried to seem taller than he was, and had a hand placed near his gun importantly.

"You can leave."

Willow looked up, confused.

"I didn't give my statement."

The cop shifted on his feet.

"We don't require it any longer, ma'am," he said ambiguously, "You've left your name and address, right?"

Willow nodded, but hoped they wouldn't be in touch.

"Uh huh. It's kind of a trek out here…am I going to be called out again?"

The cop shook his head.

"Unlikely, ma'am. You're free to go."

Willow pushed herself up.

"Okay then."

She left the dark room behind, only slightly annoyed at her wasted trip and completely unaware of the attention she'd begun to bring on herself.

* * *

Willow was sitting in bed, getting comfortable when suddenly the room was plunged into darkness.

She saw the alarm clock still displaying the time, so knew the power hadn't gone out. She was about to put a note in her phone to buy a new bulb when a flicker of light caught her eye. A moment later, it entered the room fully with Tara's silhouette behind.

Tara carried the candle-laden cupcake towards Willow, her smile slowly becoming more visible as she approached.

"Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday dear Willow…Happy Birthday to you."

Tara sat beside Willow and presented her with the cupcake. Willow blew out the candle.

"Uh oh. Now I can't see my favourite thing in the world."

"Cupcakes?" Tara asked.

Willow flicked on the lamp on her nightstand.

"You."

Tara smiled and pressed a kiss to Willow's cheek.

"Happy Birthday," she greeted, not for the first time that day, "My gift is delayed, but I have a little something for you…"

She pulled the corner of her robe away from her body and revealed nothing but the lacy, crotchless panties underneath.

Willow's eyes widened, which was the reaction Tara was hoping for.

"I thought my birthday dinner was the best thing I'd eat tonight…"

Tara let the robe slide off her body, then upturned the cupcake. She rubbed the frosting over her breasts and stomach, and it was just seconds before Willow had her on her back to lick it all up.

Willow's tongue eagerly tasted the sweet frosting against Tara's sweeter skin. As her mouth brushed Tara's bellybutton, her hands ran along the lace on her girlfriend's thighs. She loved the feel of the lacy material.

As she got lower she was completely enthralled by Tara's pussy framed by the fabric. She began to lick Tara while her fingers wove in and out of the material and against Tara's skin.

It was all very hot, both in internal and external temperatures. She could feel the heat radiating from Tara on her tongue and she loved it.

She was too turned on to tease, just wanting to feel her girlfriend's hot gush in her hot garment. Her tongue moved fast and she was undoing Tara in minutes; hearing her name bounce off the walls.

When things settled again, Willow came back up, still with frosting peeking out of the corner of her mouth. She was grinning, making it even more obvious.

"Happy Birthday to me," she sang, off key but not caring an ounce.

She laid down and circled one of Tara's nipples on her gently heaving chest.

"Happy Birthday to me."

Her fingers danced up to Tara's neck and brushed over the jutting bones of Tara's collarbone.

"Happy Birthday dear Willow."

She leaned over and stole a kiss, which put the pleased grin back on her face.

"Happy Birthday to me."

* * *

Willow watched Tara lay out her clothes to wear for the birthday celebrations that evening.

She ran her hand along the material of the little black dress, appreciating its sleek feel.

"You gonna wear those crotchless panties you wore on my birthday?"

Tara smiled over her shoulder coyly.

"If you want me to."

"Would any sane person say no?" Willow asked with a playful smirk.

Tara went to the dresser and took the underwear out from her stash of lingerie. While there, she reached over to Willow's side.

"If you get to pick my panties, I get to pick yours."

She turned around with a pink pair flying around on her finger.

"My Hello Kitty ones," Willow said wryly, "The height of sexiness."

Tara bunched them in her hand.

"You wore these the first time we had sex."

Willow cringed.

"Damn, they're old. I should throw them out."

Tara thrust them towards Willow.

"Wear them. I like them."

Willow caught them with one hand.

"Okay, okay."

She dropped the panties she was in and put on the new ones, then picked out the jeans she wanted to wear for the night. They were black and hugged her ass particularly nicely, an asset she wanted to show off since Tara would be thinking about what was underneath all evening.

As she was fastening the button, she felt a palm curve around her cheek and give it a tight squeeze.

"You know exactly what you're doing," Tara called back melodiously as she passed by on her way to the bathroom.

Willow smirked to herself and snapped her own waistband.

"Damn straight I do."

She added a brown jacket which, unusually, didn't clash; even going so far as to look chic. Tara's fashion sense had improved since her stint in Paris and Willow's was starting to follow. She'd always love a fuzzy sweater on a cold day but there was room to diversify too.

She went over to her jewellery box on the vanity table and picked out a chunky bangle to match. It was technically Tara's, but Willow had stolen it once or twice and it had ended up in her box.

She shook it on, enjoying its bounce around her arm until it settled.

Tara returned in some makeup and stood behind Willow in front of the mirror.

"Do I look nice enough for this place? Where is it again?" Willow asked.

Tara nodded casually.

"I think so. I asked Brian instead of Becky since he's less on the trendy scene. He said nice music and a good crowd. You know Brian; I doubt he's sending us somewhere where they won't let us in in this."

Tara adjusted the shoulders on her dress, then squeezed each of Willow's upper arms and smiled through the mirror.

"Okay?"

Willow reached up and squeezed Tara's hand.

"Are we ready to go?"

Tara took a step back.

"Almost."

She went over to her nightstand and opened the drawer. She took out a small, gift-wrapped rectangle box and brought it over.

"Happy Birthday. I'm sorry I didn't have it on the day, they had some mailing mishap."

Willow leaned up to kiss Tara's cheek as she accepted the present.

"You're always gift enough."

Even so, she tore open the wrapping. Her eyes lit up when she saw the glossy iPhone embossed on the packaging.

"It's the new one!"

"I picked Brian's brains too when we talked about venues," Tara replied for a soft smile, "He helped me figure out the right one. He renewed our contract or something so I could afford a nicer one. I didn't think you'd mind."

Willow threw her arms around Tara.

"Thank you. I had such techno jealousy watching people gush about this phone. I promise I'm not going to go crazy this time."

She pecked Tara's cheek again and immediately started to rip open the box. She looked up sheepishly.

"But I might bring it so I can set it up on the train."

She skipped out to do a quick transfer from her old phone while Tara got her shoes on and gathered things in her purse.

They walked to the T station and got seats, where Willow proceeded to spend the entire journey tapping things onto the new phone. True to her word, however, once they were on the street again she put it securely away into her purse.

"Okay, I'm putting it away now. I'm your date for the evening."

She linked her arm with Tara's, who smiled back and they walked arm in arm to the address Brian had given them before.

They walked inside and were immediately met with an atmospheric buzz of a young twenty-something professional crowd. It was contemporary but casual, with the kind of soft lighting that probably made people drink quicker without the fear of judgement. It set a nice mood and probably increased the bar profits too.

Tara took her jacket off and hung it over her arm.

"Want a cocktail?"

They approached the bar together and Willow nodded.

"Sure. What are you getting?"

Tara picked up the menu on the bar.

"Mai Tai, I think."

She handed it to Willow, who did the same.

"Hmm…I'll do rum too. A cuba libre, please."

"Want to get a seat?" Tara suggested while she got the bartender's attention.

Willow went off, but was back just as Tara was paying for their drinks.

"I got a text from Brian, he's upstairs with Becky."

"Oh, cool," Tara replied, handing Willow her glass, "Here you go."

They walked up the winding stairs to the second floor of the bar, which was designed for people to either sit in booths or stand at a space in front of the stage.

Brian and Becky were sitting opposite in a booth directly across from the stage. Willow and Tara approached with a wave and embrace as they sat in.

"Hey guys, good to see you," Willow greeted.

"Alice is doing a dinner with friends but she says she'll call in after," Tara added.

"This is where the band is playing, so I came early to get us good seats," Brian explained, then his cheeks tinged pink, "It's Disorder Corridor actually."

Willow blushed too and kept her gaze on her drink.

"What am I missing here?" Becky asked, amused.

"They were playing when Brian took Willow out on a date," Tara explained with a sideways smirk.

"That's not what happened!" Willow protested with an eye roll, "Forget it, they're a good band. Good choice. Cheers. Here's to birthdays…and stuff."

"To birthdays and stuff," Becky returned, clinking her bottle of beer against Willow's glass, then Tara's and Brian's.

They settled into chatting while the second floor filled with more people getting ready to see the band. It got quite crowded, which Willow was surprised about because they were just a local band, albeit a good one.

The band arrived to set up and did a little sound check and call outs to the crowd.

Finally the guitarist gave the nod to the lead singer that everything was ready and she grinned almost sensuously to the crowd, caressing the microphone stand at the same time.

"It's time to…congregate."

The band started playing an up-tempo song called 'No Tears At This Birthday Party' and one woman got up from a booth to dance alone, quite rhythmically.

Willow wasn't sure whether she wanted an audience or whether to avoid eye contact. After a few moments, one person from each table joined in unison.

Willow noticed people had pulled out cell phones to video. She was thoroughly confused as another round of bar-goers joined in, but became even more so when Becky and Brian jumped up to fall into the crowd. She opened her mouth to question it, but it stayed open in surprise when Tara got up a moment later to lead the whole thing, facing her.

A rose appeared from somewhere and was passed along the heads of the dancers, like a rocker who jumped into the crowd. Tara caught it, twirled it and handed it to Willow.

"Happy Birthday sweetheart."

Willow took the rose with a look of utter confusion on her face, so Tara took her hands and pulled her up.

"You said you wanted to be in a flash mob once."

Willow's eyes widened with realisation.

"You did this?"

"Brian helped a whole lot. I owe him a lot this week," Tara replied modesty, and tapped her feet near Willow's, "There's only half a song left."

"I don't know the moves," Willow replied uncertainly, aware of everyone else looking at her.

"No one does, really," Tara replied encouragingly, "Just follow along."

Willow followed along and got quite caught up with it, clapping her hands together vigorously by the end.

"Happy Birthday, Willow!" the lead singer shouted into the mic with her charming smile while the last few guitar chords played, "You sure got a special lady out there who cares about you a whole lot. Are we ready to rock here tonight?"

There was a fresh cheer and people returned to their seats, passing by with smiles for Willow and Tara; all of them feeling united in the joy and rush of being involved in such an event.

Willow had red cheeks and a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"That was so much fun!" she gushed, going around to her friends and Tara to hug them all, "Thank you, everyone. That was amazing. I don't know how you pulled it off but it was amazing!"

She was still jumping from toe to toe in beat with the new song as she grabbed her nearly empty glass and drained it.

"Need a refill stat! Who else?"

Brian indicated he did and reached for his wallet, but Willow put up a hand.

"No way, I owe you," she said in a rush, "You at least deserve a drink for dancing like that."

Becky knocked her shoulder against Brian's as she slid in beside him in the booth.

"He's not bad. Briany Two-Shoes."

Brian blushed, but luckily it was missed as Willow had hurried off to get more drinks.

Tara went to thank the band between songs, who had used their online newsletter to attract the crowd and just generally been very helpful and generous with their time to pull off the birthday surprise.

As Willow was ordering the drinks, a hand appeared on the small of her back and she looked to the side as they accompanying figure pulled up beside her.

"Alice, hi."

"Hello, Willow," Alice greeted back, "Happy Birthday."

She produced a card and handed it over. Willow smiled gratefully and opened it, where two tickets were enclosed along with a nice verse.

Willow was surprised; she still kind of thought of Alice being 'Tara's friend', though Alice had never been anything but friendly and welcoming to her.

Becky and Brian had given Willow their gifts on the day, calling in at various times after work, before Tara had gotten home. She'd gotten enough books and DVDs to entertain her for weeks.

"Hey, wow! Convention tickets! How'd you think of that?"

"Brian suggested it," Alice replied.

Willow just grinned.

"That boy's been doing everything! You know what, I'm gonna bring him with me. I took Tara to a con once before anyway and I don't think it was exactly her thing. Thank you!"

She hugged Alice easily.

"Let me get you a drink."

Alice just nodded.

"I'll get the next. Vodka cranberry, thank you. How are you?"

They exchanged pleasantries and brought the drinks back to the table. Everyone greeted Alice and Willow and Brian started talking excitedly about the convention when Willow told him she was bringing him.

Willow was on a complete high from everything and unusually sociable, stopping to talk to other booths who had participated before. Tara noticed her bringing drinks to tables and when Willow was at the bar yet again, Tara approached her.

"You're buying a lot of drinks, Will."

"I actually have money in the bank for once!" Willow replied giddily, then shouted to the bar, "Hey, everyone…next round is on me!"

Everyone cheered and Tara tugged Willow away.

"Willow, are you sure?" she asked quickly.

"Of course I'm sure!" Willow replied and leaned over to pop a smooch on Tara's lips, "Don't be a spoilsport."

"It's just—" Tara started but Willow interrupted smugly.

"Whose birthday is it?"

"Okay, honey, as long as you're happy," Tara conceded with a smile, "Come dance with me?"

Willow left her card behind the bar and took Tara's hands, twirling her onto the dance floor.

"This is the best night of my life!"

* * *

 _This is the worst morning of my life._

…was the most coherent thought to go through Willow's mind as her eyes fought the weight keeping them closed in the form of a very oppressive headache.

Her vision swirled but eventually she was able to blink into some kind of clarity.

She became aware that she was naked under a loosely strewn blanket, but she couldn't quite make out where she was through her heavy blinks.

Those two facts collided startlingly for her and she sat up in horror, despite her body's protestations.

Sheer and utter relief passed over her face when she realised she was in her own room, in her own bed, with her own Tara and had just been upside down, thus screwing her sense of perception with her already foggy mind.

She fell right-side up onto the pillow with a groan and shuffled towards Tara for comfort.

Tara woke with all the movement and brought a hand up to rub her eye. She had remained quite sober when it became apparent Willow was out on the town, so she had little hangover induced tenderness to deal with.

Her head settled on the pillow and she smiled across.

"Good morning, my tipsy little elf."

Willow's nose scrunched painfully and she reached out for Tara, surprised to feel pyjamas under the sheet.

"Did we have sex?"

Tara arched an eyebrow.

"You were hammered. I have a basic standard of decency," she brushed off, though could see Willow was confused about why she was naked, "You were too hot so you took off all your clothes and tried to hump the fan."

Willow's eyes grew wide.

"I did not!"

"Who has the clearer memory?" Tara challenged.

Willow scowled with embarrassment, then her frown deepened even more as she turned back to Tara.

"So I didn't even get to enjoy your crotchless panties?"

Tara grinned.

"You wolf whistled while I got undressed and then started snoring about five seconds later."

Willow groaned, more in frustration this time and blew a piece of hair from her face in annoyance. She shook her head.

"When I woke up naked and couldn't recognise the room, I thought—" she started but quickly back-peddled when she saw the look forming on Tara's face, "That I was in Becky's place and she played a prank on me."

"Mmm," Tara replied dubiously but didn't press the issue.

Willow wisely shut up and closed her eyes for a little while, but didn't feel any better.

"Are you sure I'm not dying? Do I need to call a rabbi?"

"I don't know what you'd do with one even if you were dying. When was the last time you were in a synagogue?" Tara joked, though her hand did slip under to rub Willow's tummy for comfort, "Don't worry, I'm sure your new best friends will take care of you."

Willow's eyes flickered open and her brow creased.

"My new best friends?"

"From all the drinks you bought," Tara explained.

"You mean for our friends?" Willow tried to clarify, fuzzy after accepting her gift from Alice.

"No, you bought the whole bar drinks," Tara said, her brow creasing in the same way, "Don't you remember?"

Willow's eyes bugged.

"I did WHAT?!"

She scrambled around trying to find her phone, eventually finding it in her discarded pants pocket as she hung out of bed.

She swung it, and herself, around and frantically tapped her info into her banking app.

She spent several tense seconds staring at the screen before tossing her phone so hard onto the bed, it bounced.

"DAMN IT! I spent it, I spent every damn penny."

Tara sat up, frowning. She placed her hand on the small of Willow's back.

"I asked if you were sure you wanted to spend your paycheck, you said you were. I should have stopped you, I'm sorry. We didn't need it for bills and I just figured you decided to have a big blow out after all the stress that job bought."

Willow's head hung in her hands, her whole body deflating.

"I just…I wanted to get something."

"Well, what is it?" Tara asked, "Maybe we can save up for it."

Willow shook her head.

"No, I'll…" she started, interrupting herself with a sigh, "I'll figure something out."

Tara encouraged Willow to lie back down with her and cuddled in nice and close.

"I'm sorry you spent your money when you didn't want to, but you had a really good night," she said, trying to cheer her disheartened girlfriend up.

Willow looked over at her messy bed-headed girlfriend and decided she didn't have many woes in life.

"Still can't believe you organised a flash mob for me."

Tara leaned in and pressed a messy, lingering kiss on Willow's cheek, complete with requisite 'mwah'.

"I love you."

It tickled, forcing Willow to smile, but she was starting to do so of her own accord any way.

"Love you more. And don't even try and argue."

Tara smiled and returned Willow her phone, which she'd taken off the bed in case Willow damaged it with her frustration.

"At least you didn't lose your new phone last night. You sure took plenty of photos."

Willow took it and brought up the pictures from the night before. She didn't recognise half the people in them.

"Looks like I took a lot of selfies. Hey, why the heck am I showing people my hello kitty underwear!?"

"You called them your 'I got laid' panties," Tara replied before asking curiously, "What's a selfie?"

Willow opened the camera app and snapped a pic quicker than Tara even saw the flash.

"This is."

Tara spotted her bewildered face pop up on screen and blushed. She brought the blanket up higher.

"You're not getting any nudie pics. You're lucky I let you keep that video."

"Just come here and smile," Willow requested with mock exasperation.

Tara shuffled closer again and Willow took a selfie of their two heads on the one pillow. She looked at the picture and felt her belly flutter at Tara's smile.

It didn't matter how much time passed, Tara could always turn Willow into a ball of mush and invoke those feelings of first love. Except, as time passed, they got stronger instead of diminishing. That's what made Willow so sure.

She wanted forever with Tara.

"You're so pretty."

"Probably just a good angle," Tara dismissed.

Willow sighed and eyed her girlfriend. One day, she hoped, Tara might take heed of her beauty.

"Accept the compliment?"

Tara kissed Willow's cheek and threw an arm around her waist under the covers.

"I will if you won't be upset about last night."

Willow nodded.

"I'm not. I'm in bed with you, I'm in my happy place. I'll figure things out."

And she would.

She was lucky to have a blown paycheck be the height of her worries.

And luckier to be waking up every morning beside the love of her life.


	39. Chapter 39

**FivebyFive89** — Unfortunately the time is finite! There was only ever so much to cover…

I hadn't watched Holby City before but I looked up that character, and you know, he's pretty much exactly what I envisioned too!

 **Clauxx** — Yes, Willow wanted to get something special…but she'll get the opportunity again!

* * *

"Honey, I'm home…"

Tara walked in from work, greeting Willow in the cheesy way she loved.

Willow looked up from reading on the couch and smiled. Tara came over to give her a kiss and dropped a package next to her.

"This was in the parcel box. Your name caught my eye on the way in."

Willow's eyes dropped to it and she snatched it up quickly.

"That's, uh, some, um, new bras I bought. Saw a good offer online, heh," she said with a nervous chuckle, before whispering to herself, "This was supposed to come recorded."

Tara was already on her way to the kitchen to get a cold drink.

"Calm down, I'm not going to look at your super-secret package," she teased with a grin as she twisted the cap off a Snapple, "I know what it is anyway."

Willow gulped.

"Y-you do?"

Tara nodded.

"Something for your dress up thing at the convention," she said, swiping her sleeve over her mouth, "It's called cosplaying, right? I read about it."

Willow's eyes were wide and she nodded quickly.

"Oh, yes. Yes, it is."

Tara came back over to sit near Willow.

"You don't have to hide it from me. I won't laugh at you," she reassured softly, "I think it sounds really fun."

Willow was touched, but eager to get the evidence out of sight.

"Thanks. Gonna go um…"

Tara just nodded and Willow ran off to the bedroom. When she returned, she saw Tara drinking again and rubbing her throat as it went down.

"You okay?" she asked with concern.

Tara cleared her throat.

"Have something caught in my throat all day."

"Try some yogurt?" Willow suggested, "I have dinner in the oven. One pot chicken and rice, your recipe. It'll be a few minutes though."

Tara started to stand but Willow put a hand up.

"I'll get it."

Willow got one of Tara's yogurts from the fridge, pulled the foil lid off and brought it over to her with a spoon.

Tara kissed Willow's cheek as she sat down beside her.

"Thanks, honey."

A few spoonfuls of the cool yogurt did seem to help that uncomfortable feeling in her throat and she cuddled herself into Willow's side.

"It's nice to be home with my lady with a whole weekend ahead."

Willow put her arm around Tara and watched her close her eyes and relax. She liked seeing the gentle quirk of Tara's lips as her breath exhaled from her nose and tickled her. She admired just how still her girlfriend could be.

"I think it's definitely a dinner on the couch kind of night," she said, seeing the weight of the work week had played heavily on Tara's shoulders.

Tara took in a sharp inhale to get some oxygen into her brain and wake her up for the evening.

"Sorry. Been staving off a cold all week. It's worn me out."

Willow gave Tara's shoulder a little massage.

"Well, we can be Willow and Tara NoPlans this weekend."

Tara sent a tired but true smile in Willow's direction.

"How's that for a married name?"

Willow offered an awkward smile back and quickly jumped up to check on dinner.

"You okay with foregoing a salad? There's veggies in the casserole."

"Sure, that's fine honey," Tara replied easily, "Can I help at all?"

"Nope," Willow replied surely from the kitchen, "I love your collection of one pot dinners. One pot, two bowls, two spoons and one very happy Willow who doesn't have to do too many dishes."

"I'll do the dishes," Tara offered.

"Not what I meant," Willow replied, smile evident in her voice, "Although you _would_ offer on the night with less than five to do."

"Hey, I do the dishes all the time," Tara said, bending her head back over the couch to see into the kitchen.

Willow came over and kissed Tara's upside down lips.

"I know you do, I'm teasing."

She picked up Tara's empty bottle and threw it in the trash.

"Need another drink?"

Tara nodded.

"Yes please. But from the pitcher. Don't want to drink all the Snapples in one go. I love when you're able to get those on special offer."

"You're so demanding," Willow replied with mock seriousness as she poured Tara a glass of sweet tea with ice and lemon, "You never ask for anything treat-like from the grocery store so snapping up a couple of boxes when I see that $3 off coupon is the least I can do. Even worth the precarious juggle home."

She brought it over and left it on a coaster on the end table, grinning.

"Get it? Snapping up the Snapples?"

"Oh so witty," Tara replied dryly, then offered a soft smile, "And oh so pretty."

Willow gave Tara another upside down kiss, lingered for a few sweet moments before returning to the kitchen to dish out dinner.

She brought Tara's bowl over first with a napkin to shield her lap from the heat, and then came back again with her own.

"Dig in. Hope it's good."

"Smells it," Tara replied lovingly.

She dug her spoon in deep and got a little bit of everything. She settled her head on Willow's shoulder.

"Delicious, sweetie. You treat me so well; coming home to a home cooked meal every evening."

Willow kissed the parting of Tara's hair.

"It's a pleasure to make a meal and share it with you."

They enjoyed chatting about their day over dinner most evenings but sometimes, like tonight, Willow knew Tara needed a bowl of something she could eat with one utensil handed to her and the TV flicked on to the first mindless movie that came along.

So Willow did just that, grabbing the remote and channel hopping until Tara made a noise that signalled her interest. Willow didn't recognise the title but it seemed like a fairly generic and innocuous chick flick, which suited her fine.

When she noticed Tara had finished and was paying attention to the movie, she discreetly slipped away to wash their bowls. She put a pack of popcorn in the microwave and refreshed Tara's drink while it popped.

Tara reached out and caressed Willow's wrist.

"You're pampering me."

Willow winked.

"You deserve it."

She brought the bowl of popcorn down and sat it between them on their laps.

Tara casually draped her arm around Willow's shoulders.

"This is just what I needed."

"You're easy to please," Willow replied, smiling when their fingers brushed in the bowl, "Feels like our first date…still giving me the butterflies."

Tara pressed a piece of popcorn in between Willow's teeth, then pressed their lips together for a salty kiss.

They settled back in to watch TV and Tara kicked off her shoes to putt her feet up on the table.

She ate a little bit of popcorn but it scratched her throat again, so she left it for Willow to vacuum up. She wasn't worried; food rarely lasted long around her girlfriend.

They spent the evening watching trash TV, cuddling in various positions and playing footsie when their feet graced the table at the same time.

Willow was the first in bed, as Tara liked to take her time with her night time routine. Willow's night time routine was to play on her phone, as she was doing now.

She often wondered how she survived the lull of waiting for Tara to come to bed without a smart phone. With much more agitation, she supposed.

 _Or anticipation._

She thought for a second and slowly put her phone down, then chastised herself for expecting anything from Tara that night knowing how long a week her girlfriend had had.

She scooted down until she was lying on her pillow, plugged her phone in to charge and turned off her lamp.

When Tara came to bed a few minutes later, Willow gave her a squeeze and kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight, I love you."

She shuffled back to her side of the bed and Tara looked over with a crooked smile.

"Is a cheek kiss all that's on offer tonight?"

Willow's head swung back in surprise.

"Everything is on offer," she said, coming back over to Tara, "I didn't want to pressure you when you're not feeling 100%."

Tara pressed her palm against the exposed part of Willow's collarbone and ran her fingers along the protruding bones.

"I am 100% feeling you."

Willow grinned and reached across Tara's waist to splay a hand around her hip.

"You smooth-talking devil, you."

They leaned in together and met for a kiss. Before it got too deep, Tara pushed herself off Willow's shoulders and broke the kiss.

"Put some music on," she requested softly.

Willow's lips quirked upwards again.

"Oh, you want that kinda night, huh?"

"I just want to re- _lax_ with my girlfriend," Tara replied, her eyes falling from Willow's eyes to her plump lips, "If she's up for it."

Willow's hips were almost hopping off the bed.

"She's up so high, she's flying," she said eagerly.

She pressed her lips to Tara's fingers, then held up a finger to indicate she'd just be one minute. Tara nodded and laid back on her pillow, settling herself as she watched Willow scoot around the room finding music and candles.

Willow placed a CD into the player and a rhythmic R'n'B tune started to play. It wasn't the usual music either of them listened to, but it was definitely setting the right mood.

"Say what you want about Becky, but she knows good music to have sex to," Willow said as she lit a scented candle.

"Did she actually say that's what it was for when she gave you that CD?" Tara asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Willow looked over her shoulder with a grin and held up the CD case which had 'Sex Music' scribbled in large letters on the insert where the song titles should be.

Tara smiled too, shaking her head.

"Don't tell her we played it."

"Do I look stupid?" Willow asked as she bounced back over to the bed, "She'll ask what position we were in for each song."

Tara turned off her lamp as Willow slid back under the covers, but there was still the perfect amount of light coming from the flames of the various candles to see everything she wanted.

She moved onto her back as Willow got closer and felt that slight rush in her chest as her girlfriend moved on top of her.

Willow watched Tara's lips part as she had to put a little more effort into breathing. She loved seeing those micro responses to arousal in Tara; each a tiny exhibition building her own desire.

She dropped her mouth to the corner of Tara's, pressing teasing kisses there for a moment before slipping her tongue past her girlfriend's lips.

Tara grabbed Willow's cheeks and pulled her in closer so their mouths were as close as they could be.

Willow's hand slipped under Tara's top so her fingers sank into the softness of Tara's stomach. They crept up slowly, as slowly as they were taking the kiss, until Willow's fingers brushed against the underside of Tara's bare breast.

She loved that Tara wore no bra in bed. She loved that she could feel their swell unrestricted and loved to watch as her girlfriend's nipples began to strain through the fabric of her thin top.

Her lips descended into Tara's neck just so her gaze could steal those glances. Her hand continued creeping up to palm the area.

Tara felt their stomachs brush as they moved; fleeting connections of skin, which sent pulsations between her legs. Her hips lifted and fell back to the bed, pulling the seam in her sleep shorts in a dangerous direction.

Willow heard the sharp inhalation of breath, so had a little nibble on Tara's skin to draw it out. Her hand slipped off Tara's breast and raked back down her stomach again. She pulled the strings free on Tara's shorts in one fluid movement.

Tara's eyes fluttered closed as Willow brushed against her downy hairs. The near-touch made her shiver and gush with new arousal.

Willow felt Tara's heat push up against her hand and she dropped in to wet her fingers with the arousal she caused. She knew Tara was struggling in the shorts, so eased them down her legs and off.

They hadn't even hit the floor yet, when Tara was pulling Willow to her again. She lifted Willow's top over her head and flung it sideways, then took a generous handful in each hand of what was revealed.

Willow wasn't one to miss out, so she divested Tara of her tank top too.

Tara sat up back against the wall and had Willow kneel in her lap. She pressed her fingers along Willow's collarbone and up over her shoulders, then around to caress the hairs at the nape of her neck.

She gave a little tug so they were close enough for their breath to mingle. She let the warmth hit her lips for a few moments before closing the tiny gap to kiss Willow again.

Her hands slid down Willow's sides and slipped under the waistband of her pyjama pants.

Willow giggled into Tara's mouth, which made her smile.

She loved Willow's laugh.

She pulled away, though not without a series of lasting pecks to tide her over while she gave Willow an instruction.

"Lie down."

Willow scooted away and laid on her back, but Tara made a twirling motion with her finger.

"Other way."

Willow complied and rolled onto her stomach. Tara moved to straddle Willow's clothed butt. She drew designs on the small of her girlfriend's back, just to tickle and tease her.

Willow closed her eyes to appreciate the touches more and was so engrossed, she actually jumped when her pyjama bottoms were yanked over her ass. She looked over her shoulder and watched as Tara's mouth kissed up her thigh to her cheek again.

She felt the kiss turn into a little bite and an involuntarily moan escaped her lips.

Tara's mouth stayed on point but her eyes glanced upwards. Willow saw their mischievous glint and blushed. She turned redder, in both sets of cheeks, as Tara's hand lightly slapped her ass on the other side.

Willow turned her head back into the pillow while Tara littered her butt with lovebites. The little nips were highly erotic and Willow could feel herself becoming dangerously aroused.

Tara trailed her lips to the base of Willow's spine and her tongue flicked out to stimulate the skin. She could feel Willow trembling beneath.

The music was still filling the room, and moving her body in rhythm to the melodious beat made Tara feel incredibly sexy. She brushed her hair over one shoulder to move it out of the way before licking her way up to the nape of Willow's neck.

She did this over and over again, adding in the press of her breasts to massage Willow along the way.

Willow's fingers were loosely bunched in the sheet as she experienced the sensual mix of sensation.

Eventually she felt Tara's hand snake up past her shoulder, bend her arm upwards and take hold of her hand which was now angled above her head.

The hair on the back of Willow's neck stood up in anticipation and she gasped as she felt Tara's other hand slide over the curve of her ass to probe her pussy from behind.

Her thighs spread to accommodate the position.

Tara pressed one finger inside Willow's walls, pulling her arousal out and coating herself in the process. She added a second finger to give Willow that full feeling and then not long after a third for the sweet stretch.

She watched Willow's head lift from the pillow for her to cry out in pleasure and didn't disappoint; offering the friction it was obvious her girlfriend wanted.

Willow grinded her hips down into the bed to complement Tara's movements, going down when she went up so there was constant pleasure-filled contact. She could feel herself getting close and she knew she wasn't being shy with her moans to make that known.

Tara's hand suddenly shifted and while Willow started to look back in shock, and perhaps to beg, when she felt a thumb curl under her and find her clit while the other fingers remained inside. All digits curved towards each other so Willow was being utterly stimulated inside and out.

Both hands clutched the sheet as her hips bucked wildly and with abandon.

Tara moved back over Willow as she had been earlier, pressing her body into her girlfriend's back. Her nipples were hard from touching Willow and scraped along her spine.

Willow's eyes shut tight as the swell inside began to rush towards pleasure. Her voice broke into higher and higher vocalisations until nothing could come out anymore.

Her eyelids fluttered as she came, smile plastered on her face and breath caught in her throat.

Tara stilled her hand and waited for that split second in time where the orgasm had passed but Willow hadn't relaxed her muscles again yet. Just when the moment struck, she thrust at an angle.

Willow's teeth bit the pillow as another orgasm bubbled over. She thought she might melt into a puddle, though was happy to let it happen.

After a few minutes of stillness, she felt Tara's hand slip out and come to rest over her ass. There was a little squeeze, a series of squeezes really, which made Willow smile.

Kisses followed along Willow's shoulder blade and when Willow felt them begin to tickle her neck, she turned herself over.

She reached up and tucked some hair behind Tara's ear. She loved how soft Tara's hair was and how her fingers would just glide through.

She lifted her head up to tuck her nose in under Tara's ear to get the fruity scent of her hair. She nuzzled their cheeks together, then slowly pulled back until their faces were close.

She nipped at Tara's lips playfully a few times before finally engaging in a deep kiss.

Tara slid her tongue into Willow's mouth the same way her body pressed in; letting their thighs and breasts hug each other.

Their stiff nipples brushed and Tara felt her sticky thighs get stickier.

Willow felt it too.

She shifted her legs so she could put her thigh where Tara needed it, but it became quickly apparent that that wasn't enough.

Her hand moved between their bodies and her fingers dipped along Tara's lips. They gathered wetness and she brought the pads over Tara's clit.

Tara's lips trembled away from Willow's as she took in a sharp breath of air. She sat back so she was straddling Willow.

Willow watched Tara's legs spread either side of her hips and dropped her hand to move inside.

She loved that first jerk when Tara felt her entering and the subsequent spread of pleasure on her face.

Tara was obviously wet and more than ready so Willow didn't deny when Tara set a fast pace.

She added in her own finger curls and twists to work her girlfriend how she knew so well and was rewarded with the unobstructed view of Tara's whole body coming undone.

Tara's palms lay flat on Willow's abdomen, under her breasts, which she used as leverage in her movements. Her body bounced with each thrust.

She took Willow's fingers deeply as often as her body would allow and could feel it all rushing towards climax.

As it hit, her fingers bent and her nails dragged along a few inches on Willow's ribcage. A last, long moan accompanied the release.

Willow loved having little lasting effects of Tara's desire, like the lovebites and the scratches so she was grinning quite happily to herself as her girlfriend laid back down beside her to catch her breath.

Willow turned on her side to trace Tara's collarbone and after a few moments Tara turned the same way so they were facing each other.

Tara's cheeks were still flushed and her hair stuck to her brow, but she could speak normally.

She brushed a finger tenderly against Willow's cheek.

"I don't tell you you're beautiful enough."

Willow's smile changed to a softer one and she leaned in to peck Tara's lips.

"You don't have to tell me when you show me all the time."

Tara splayed her whole hand out on Willow's cheek and leaned in to kiss her again.

They kissed and cuddled as the CD played out, though Willow did have something else on her mind.

"I want some ice-cream," she announced, then continued off Tara's look, "What? I worked up an appetite."

Tara just smiled.

"Go get a bowl."

Willow grinned, jumped up and ran out, butt naked. Tara rested her hands behind her read and indulged in a luxurious stretch.

Willow returned a couple of minutes later, frowning.

"We don't have any. I forgot to put it on the list," she grumbled before sighing dramatically as she fell back into bed, "I suppose I'll survive."

Tara looked at Willow for a few seconds, playfully rolled her eyes and swung her legs over the bed.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked with a crease in her brow.

Tara looked over her shoulder as she threw her shirt back on, braless.

"I'm getting you some ice cream because I'm the best girlfriend in the world."

"No, no, I didn't mean that," Willow said quickly, and genuinely.

Tara smiled and winked.

"Sure you didn't."

Willow started to sit up.

"I'll g—"

Tara leaned over and put a finger against Willow's lips.

"Get a spoon ready and keep the bed warm."

Willow smiled behind Tara's finger and nodded. Tara buttoned her pants and left the room, grabbing her jacket to cover her dishevelled appearance and throwing one of Willow's beanie hats on with it.

She walked outside and to the end of the street to the convenience store there.

She went over to the freezer and picked out a pint of one of their favourites. She had the cash ready to go as she approached the cash counter and the man behind put the ice-cream in a bag so she wouldn't have to freeze her hands off.

Tara took it gratefully.

"Thanks Mr. Chatterjee."

"Enjoy," he replied with his smiling Indian accent, despite the hour.

Tara didn't dawdle; it wasn't the most comforting thing to be out alone in the middle of the night, and besides, she wanted to get back to Willow.

She hung the jacket and hat back up together and brought the tub into Willow, who snatched it, although delicately.

Tara undressed again and noticed she'd achieved the great feat of pulling Willow's attention away from the ice-cream, mid pulling the lid off.

Never one to disappoint, she put on a little show; swaying and covering parts of herself as she disrobed to prolong the anticipation.

Finally she sauntered over, naked, to Willow and popped the lid of the tub off.

"Never say I don't deliver the goods," she whispered provocatively.

Willow gulped and had to take a minute to compose herself.

Tara walked back over to her side of the bed and slid back under the covers, appreciating the warmth even more after being outside. It may have been summer, but the middle of the night was the middle of the night.

Willow licked her lips as her coveted treat finally passed her lips.

"Ice cream tastes better at midnight."

"Is it because it feels naughty?" Tara asked with mirth-filled eyes.

Willow grinned salaciously, spoon hanging out of her mouth.

"That must be why you taste so good all the time."

Tara started to smile but then brought a hand to her throat as she tried to clear it of the uncomfortable bulge she felt suddenly appear.

"Still scratchy?" Willow asked sympathetically.

Tara felt an ache as she tried to speak.

"Tender."

Willow dug deep into the carton and offered Tara the spoon when she pulled it out.

"Ice cream will numb it."

Tara managed to complete her smile this time.

Even if the ice-cream didn't work, Willow feeding her would certainly keep her mind plenty occupied.

* * *

Tara woke with her back to the sun but was still able to feel the warmth behind her head and neck.

It was pleasant, especially since the front of her face didn't feel all that great.

She didn't feel miserable, but her head was heavy and her throat was sore.

She sat up in the otherwise empty bed and curved her hand around her throat. It wasn't hot or particularly tender to touch, but it did ache inside. She patted her chest and gave a small cough, which scratched on its way up.

She swung her legs off the bed and looked around for the clothes that had been discarded the night before, but Willow seemed to have already done a sweep of the floor.

She went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of sweats and her too-big college t-shirt. She loosely tied the strings on the sweats after putting them on and settled the shirt so it fell past her waist.

It was a lazy dressing, but she didn't feel like putting in much more effort right then. She moved on to the bathroom and gargled and brushed her teeth to freshen up.

She finally made her way out to the living room, where Willow was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and her laptop on her lap.

"Morning," she said, turning her attention away from the screen for a quick smile, "There's coffee in the pot."

Tara opened her mouth to say thank you but only a wheeze came out, followed by a rough cough. She brought her hand up and patted under her throat to try and aid sound.

Willow heard the odd noise and looked up.

"Baby? Are you okay?"

Tara appeared to swallow repeatedly and opened her mouth again to speak.

Willow slid her laptop off her lap and came over to where Tara was standing.

"Honey?" she asked with concern.

Tara patted her collarbone again, mouth still open.

"You can't speak?" Willow guessed.

Tara nodded.

"Can't," she managed to force out in a low gravel, with some difficulty.

Willow recognised that hoarse sound from her trip to Europe with her parents when she was a teenager. Her father had gotten sick and her mother had acted like he'd personally affronted her.

"Baby, you must have laryngitis," she said, putting that memory out of her mind to focus on her girlfriend.

She put her hands on Tara's neck and had a little feel for anything.

Tara had to smile at Dr. Willow.

Willow gently pulled Tara's chin down and got her to open her mouth so she could look inside.

"Okay, yeah, that's red raw," she said, grimacing even looking at how painful Tara's throat looked, "And I sent you out in the middle of the night for ice cream."

"Not your—" Tara started but Willow put her finger up against her girlfriend's lips.

"Don't try to speak, don't try to speak."

She brought her the back of her hand up to feel Tara's forehead and cheeks.

"Don't think you have a fever, at least. We should make an out-of-hours doctor's appointment."

"Waste," Tara choked out, "Money."

"Your health is not a waste," Willow insisted, but Tara seemed too tired to argue so she gave it up, "Okay. I guess we can see if it clears up. But you definitely need to rest up this weekend. And don't try to speak!"

Tara held her hands up in surrender and Willow walked her over to the couch. She got her settled with fluffed cushions and a blanket and handed her to remote.

"You are to stay there, cuddly and warm by decree of me. Thus sealed with this kiss."

She smacked a kiss to Tara's cheek, then rubbed the spot gently and fixed the blanket over her lap.

When she was happy Tara was comfy, she grabbed her laptop and moved over to the opposite couch, to finish up what she'd been doing before Tara had come in.

After a couple of minutes she noticed Tara was motioning at her. Her fingers were curling and releasing in a movement Willow was quite used to feeling, but not seeing.

It took her longer than it should have to realise Tara was just asking her to come to her. She blushed bright red.

"Oh!"

Tara didn't seem to notice where Willow's mind had gone and just took her hand when she came forward and put it against her stomach. Willow nodded quickly.

"You're hungry," she deduced, "Okay, hmm…how about some soft scrambled eggs and I'll defrost some chicken soup for lunch? Get some good old fashioned Jewish penicillin into you."

Tara smiled and nodded gratefully. Willow went off into the kitchen, but returned moments later with a yogurt and a glass of juice.

"Have this while you wait."

She left them on the end table with a spoon. Tara pressed her fingers to her lips and then reached out to press them to Willow's. Willow squeezed Tara's hand, then went back to the kitchen to whip up some eggs for them both.

After an unusually silent breakfast, Tara lay down on the couch and turned on a Law and Order marathon. It didn't stay silent for long as Tara began to cough. It sounded rough and Willow could only take so much, both from the noise and imagining the pain her girlfriend must be in.

She stood up and put her laptop away.

"Listen, I'm going to get you some Tylenol and cough syrup. Stay warm, I'll be as quick as I can."

She disappeared into the bedroom to get dressed and run the brush through her hair so she didn't startle the good people of Boston with her wild mane.

She could hear Tara hacking her lungs up even with the door closed as she brushed her teeth. She winced. She went out and offered a head kiss for comfort and yet again fussed with her blanket.

Tara felt totally comforted, as intended, and cuddled into a cushion to get even more comfortable.

She dozed while Willow was gone, which was the best part of an hour.

Willow came swinging through the door with two full bags.

"I have medicines, I have Jell-O, I have honey for tea," she listed, dropping the bags on the table and taking something out, "And I got you a present."

She brought over a mini handheld whiteboard with a black marker attached on the side. She presented it to Tara with a sheepish smile.

"They were on clearance in the stationary section."

Tara was touched and mouthed 'thank you', then took the board and wrote something.

Willow smiled as it was turned to her.

"I love you too. Can I do anything else for you?"

Tara held her arms open and Willow embraced her in a big hug.

Tara rested her cheek on Willow's shoulder, but had to pull away after a moment to cover her hand and cough. Willow patted her back gently.

"I'll get you some cough syrup."

She went to retrieve the things from the bags and when she came back Tara was holding the sign and grinning.

 _You are getting so lucky when I'm feeling better_

Willow grinned too, but it softened as she got everything prepared.

"I'm already so lucky."

Tara eyes shined with love, which Willow missed by shaking the cough syrup and working the childproof cap off.

"Now, I want you to take two spoons of this, one of these, and I'm getting a big bowl of soup ready for you. Do you need some tissues? Let me get you some tissues. And those cushions look like they're losing their fluffiness again…"

Some people might have thought Willow was overbearing, but Tara never would. She had spent so many years where the feeling of the sniffles or sore throat made an already arduous life so much more difficult to bear.

Knowing that pain, and also feeling 'so lucky' to have her girlfriend, she would never tire of being truly cared for.

She would never stop being grateful for Willow.


	40. Chapter 40

**FivebyFive89** — You're like this verse's Willow, she hates hospitals too.

I feel you, I'm not sure what I'm going to go when it finishes up either. I was sick for a chunk of College Conf and missed writing so much during that time… I'll have to continue on in some form or I'll lose the will to live!

 **Clauxx** — They definitely care about each other a whole bunch!

* * *

Willow stood in the kitchen with the freezer door open, holding various cold things to her body to try and cool down.

Summer was well and truly upon them and the worst fate that could bestow someone living in a hot city with no air conditioning had happened to them — their fan had broken.

There was no ceiling fan in the apartment so they relied on their oscillating floor fan to keep whatever room they were staying in cool. It had worked faithfully for the three summers up to then, but had decided to pack up on the day the temperature hit 100°.

Tara had exhausted their popsicle supply while her throat was healing, and while Willow was glad her girlfriend had finally shaken the laryngitis, she wished she'd remembered to replenish the freezer too. It was way too hot to even contemplate making a trip to the store to get some now. Even if she went to the convenience store on the corner, they'd be melted before she got home.

Willow waded through the frozen leftovers and meat to try and find something immediately edible. She was wondering if peas were any good right from the bag when she heard Tara utter some of the sweetest words to ever grace her ears.

"I fixed it!"

Sure enough, the whirring started a few moments later. Willow slammed the freezer shut and ran over to hug the fan to her chest.

Tara stood back proudly with a sweaty brow and screwdriver in her hand.

When Willow had gotten her initial first blast of air, she looked over with a grin.

"You're sexy when you're all large with the butch."

She pushed off the fan and leaned over to kiss Tara's lips, an activity she'd only just been able to resume to avoid passing any more bacteria between them when Tara was unwell.

"And I'm so glad I can kiss you again."

Tara welcomed Willow's kiss just as much. She held Willow's face for a moment to savour it.

"Mmm. It's my second favourite thing about not being sick anymore."

Willow's eyebrow arched upwards incredulously.

"I only rank second? What's this oh-so-great number one spot-taking hussy of a reason?"

Tara just smiled.

"I can get off desk work and start helping my kids again."

Willow reluctantly acquiesced.

"Well…okay. I guess I can give you that one."

Tara slid her hands over Willow's shoulders and crossed her wrists behind Willow's neck seductively.

"Oh, don't pout. There's much better things your lips could be doing."

Willow gulped as Tara got closer. She watched the sweat on her girlfriend's collarbone slide down towards her breasts.

"I was cursing this heatwave a minute ago…but it's not all bad."

Her eyes followed the bead as it fell into Tara's cleavage but it didn't take long to find another traveller taking the journey. She didn't let this one find its destination, instead intercepting it on the way down by licking it from Tara's skin.

Willow kissed up into her girlfriend's neck where the spritz of perfume she'd put on this morning mixed wonderfully with that undeniable Tara scent. She opened her mouth and grazed her teeth against the sensitive skin.

She was about to flick her tongue towards Tara's ear and really get some weekend afternoon fun going when there was a knock on the door.

Willow's head turned in surprise.

"Are you expecting someone?"

Tara cleared her throat and immediately headed towards the bathroom to splash her face.

"Nope."

Willow gathered her hair behind the back of her sticky neck and went to open the door.

On the other side, Becky was hunched over and panting with a sweaty brow, obviously feeling the effects of the heat in what was quite a stifling building.

"Why… does your building… have so many… stairs?" she puffed out as she struggled to straighten upright.

"Hi," Willow replied, stepping aside to let her friend in to avail of the sweet, sweet blast of cool air, "Were we expecting you?"

Becky walked right over to the fan and started shaking out the shirt that had become stuck to her with sweat.

"I figured not even you two could screw on a day this hot, so you'd be free."

Tara emerged right on time to hear that remark.

"Becky," she greeted with a blush she tried to hide, "Can I get you a cool drink?"

Becky turned around with a warm smile.

"Tara! You're sounding female again."

"Ha, ha," Tara replied with a playful roll of her eyes.

Willow hooked a finger into Tara's belt loop and pulled her closer.

"Don't kid, I missed her voice."

She brought Tara's face to her and kissed her softly.

Becky huffed out a breath.

"Jeez, I was wrong. Any lemonade going?"

Tara moved away again and went off into the kitchen to pour a round of lemonades.

Willow fixed Becky with that exasperated look that only Becky could evoke.

"Did you need something or did you just want to hang?"

Becky gracefully fell into the corner of the sofa and offered a winning smile.

"I need a favour."

Willow sat opposite and Tara brought them each a tall glass of lemonade.

"Thank you, baby," Willow said, squeezing Tara's hand as she passed the glass off.

"Thanks, Tara," Becky added before taking a long sip.

Tara went back to the kitchen to prepare some snacks, while Becky leaned forward and got to it.

"Will you be my plus one for a wedding? Remember Kim, my roommate after you? She's getting married."

Willow was bewildered.

"Why?"

"I have no one to go with," Becky replied with suitable sad pout.

"Do you not literally have a little black book full of guys just for this purpose?" Willow asked with a raised eyebrow.

Becky shook her head.

"I can't take a guy. I'm trying to hook up with one of the super-hot groomsmen."

"Ah," Willow replied with a less-than-surprised look on her face, "So why can't you go alone?"

"I can't go to a wedding alone," Becky lamented.

Willow shrugged.

"I don't see why not. You're planning on sneaking off with the groomsman anyway. And what, I'm stuck alone at a wedding of a person I barely know and haven't seen in at least a year?"

"Willow…" Becky whined, "Oh, okay I need someone to chaperone me and make sure I don't get drunk or do something stupid in front of him. Please?"

Willow let out a long sigh.

"When is it?"

Becky clapped her hands together.

"Next Saturday."

Willow looked genuinely remorseful.

"I can't, I'm sorry. I'm going to the comic-con that day with Brian. We have costumes and everything, it's a whole thing."

Becky threw herself back into the couch and groaned.

"Will you at least come to the bachelorette party? I need numbers to get a group discount."

"Oh, thanks for the personal invite," Willow replied sarcastically, "Becky, there's no way I know her well enough to go to her bachelorette party."

Becky waved a hand dismissively.

"She'll be drunk, she won't care. I have people she's never even met coming. Come on, both of you can—hey!"

She shouted the last word so loudly it got Tara's attention in the kitchen, which is what Becky wanted.

"Tara, will you be my date?"

Tara brought over a plate of nibbles she put together and left it on the coffee table.

"Excuse me?" she asked politely.

"Kim is getting married," Becky explained, "I can't show up alone and I can't show up with a guy."

Tara perched on the couch next to Willow.

"Are you trying to hook up with another guy there?"

Becky threw her eyes to Willow contemptuously.

"She should really be my best friend. She knows me."

"She can have you," Willow sneered, though all in good fun.

Becky focused on Tara and actually dropped to her knees to beg.

"It's next Saturday. Please? Free meal, free bar and I'll pay for your cab home whenever you want. Pleeaasseee?"

Tara was always one to offer a good deed when she could.

"Okay, if it means this much to you."

Becky jumped up and punched the air.

"Yay!" she said, first throwing her arms around Tara in a hug, then swinging both arms around the two of them as she shimmied between, "Now you can both come to the bachelorette party and put me at a perfect two-zero."

Willow cast a wary look behind Becky's head to Tara.

"There's not going to be a stripper, is there?"

Becky picked up a peanut butter laced Ritz cracker, just smiling to herself.

"Oh, it's going to be a classy affair."

* * *

"You said there wouldn't be a stripper!"

Willow put her hands up either side of her face to shield herself from the image of the male stripper doing his routine in the club that they were in.

The low lighting helped nothing and the rhythmic thump of the music only served to give Willow a repetitive thrusting image in her head.

"I said it was a classy affair," Becky shouted over the music, pointing to the bowtie the stripper was wearing, and nothing else, "See? Classy."

Willow let out a loud sound of frustration, so Tara intervened and brought her off to the bathroom to calm down.

"Honey, I think it's dangerous for your face to go as red as your hair."

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you happy about the wildly swinging baloney pony out there?" Willow asked with a derisive scoff.

Tara settled Willow's hands, trying to soothe her.

"Everyone is having fun. It's just entertainment."

"Oh, by all means, go line up for a lap dance," Willow sneered.

Tara fixed Willow with a 'look'.

"I already declined one and drop the tone."

Willow scowled but kept her mouth shut. Tara gave her a minute, but Willow continued to have a pissed off look on her face.

"You're the one who agreed to this," Tara stated.

Willow's hands started wildly swinging again.

"It's Becky, she talks around you and makes you agree!" Willow spat angrily, "I thought we'd have dinner and come to a club."

"We did," Tara reasoned.

Willow threw her arms up.

"Not this kind!"

Tara mirrored her frustration.

"Oh for god's sake, Willow, it's a penis not an atomic bomb."

Willow's jaw tensed.

"Hoh, oh, oh, if that thing goes off in my presence…"

Tara brought her hands to her face and covered it for a moment while she exhaled.

"Okay. This is not our night. This is someone else's night. We're not going to cause a scene," she stated calmly, "We can get a drink and sit away from the commotion until it's time to move on, then we'll slip away."

Tara found the wails and shrieks of eighteen other women far more disconcerting than the nude male dancing around them. Wild bachelorette parties were certainly not her thing. She still wasn't quite sure how they'd managed to be dragged there, but was willing to see out the night so as not to disrupt the other women that were clearly having fun, albeit loudly. She could still hear the cheers, even from the bathroom.

Willow still looked grumpy, so Tara ran the faucet and flicked some water at her face.

Willow scrunched her face in shock.

"Hey!"

Tara offered her arm.

"Come have a drink with me. Let's get a cocktail."

Willow shot Tara the stink eye and Tara's eyes widened when she realised what she said.

"I'm sorry, that was unintentional—" she started, but waved herself off before she got into it, "Let's get a fruity drink."

Willow relented and took Tara's arm. Tara led her back out into the club but as far away into a corner as was there. There was a plush couch there, facing away from the stages, so Tara sat Willow down and went to the bar to get them drinks.

She checked out the menu, though not too successfully.

"You got any drinks without penis-themed names?" she asked the shirtless man behind the bar.

The bartender looked at her sympathetically.

"I can make you a Green Temptation. It's vodka lime based."

Tara nodded gratefully.

"Perfect. I'll take two."

He made her two glasses, without making a big show of his muscles like he was trained to. Tara tipped him in gratitude for the lack of performance and brought Willow down their drinks.

"I got us some Green Temptation," she said, grinning as she sat in beside her girlfriend, "I know I get a little Green Temptation on a nightly basis whenever you look at me."

Willow softened a little and settled back. She tasted it and left it on the little table.

"They changed the song," she said, and placed her palm on Tara's thigh, "I prefer this one. It's more…feminine."

Tara swirled the little black straw in her drink, took a sip and left her glass with Willow's.

They cuddled closer in their own little corner. Willow gave Tara's thigh a little squeeze and their lips gravitated towards each other until they were kissing.

They enjoyed each other and being alone for the rest of the song and most of the next one until Becky suddenly sidled up to them.

"Uh, you guys have to leave."

"What?" Willow asked incredulously.

"You're giving the stripper a boner and it's a big no-no," Becky explained, "I mean, I'd call it an above-average yes-yes but the no-touching rule is there for a reason. You're basically the visual equivalent of that."

Willow stood right up.

"We are not responsible for his—" she started to splutter, then put a hand up, "You know what? Why am I arguing? Bye!"

She marched towards the door and Tara rushed to gather their jackets and follow her. Becky put a hand on Tara's wrist.

"You'll still be my date, right?"

"Yes, Becky, I'll see you on Saturday," Tara said quickly before rushing out.

Willow was already stomping home, so Tara caught up and fell in step.

Willow sulked the whole way home and Tara was slightly afraid to say anything, so didn't. When they did get into the apartment, Willow slammed the door behind them.

"Can you believe that?" she practically screeched.

Tara jumped but kept her cool.

"Honey, you need to let this go. I'm sorry you were so uncomfortable but it's over now."

Willow fell into the couch, quite aggressively.

"That's the first and last male stripper I ever want to be exposed to."

"Just 'male', hmm?" Tara asked with a playful lightness she was attempting to transfer to Willow.

Willow glanced up and saw Tara's sloped smirked.

It worked.

For the first time she seemed to let out a breath free of tension.

She shook her head to stop the rattling going on inside and offered Tara a deserving smile for putting it up with her.

"I'm not going to blanket ban female when you like to put on a show every now and then," she quipped, then shuddered, "I will never forgive Becky for those images."

Tara knew she'd have to pull out the big guns to get Willow away from her hostility. She stood in front of her girlfriend and reached down to slip their hands together.

"Want me to give you some nicer images to imprint on your brain?"

Willow met Tara's eye and one eyebrow arched.

"You might have to give me all kinds…and plenty of them."

"We haven't played Willow Says in a while," Tara replied invitingly.

Willow's eyes lit up; her mind finally cleared of anything but what was to come.

She jumped up and patted Tara's behind, pushing her towards the bedroom.

"Willow Says get your butt in there!"

Tara giggled and Willow became a whole new person, free of the temper that sometimes plagued her so deeply.

She scurried into the bedroom after Tara and closed the door on the rest of the apartment and the rest of the evening.

"Willow Says you're about to be all mine!"

Tara sat on the bed and scooted up, until Willow approached, waggling her finger.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no."

She hooked a finger behind Tara's belt and pulled her right back up. She then pushed Tara away gently and took the spot just vacated; sitting with her back against the headboard and hands folded behind her head. She grinned.

"I was promised images? I'd like to collect."

She watched as Tara strode back gracefully into a spot in front of the bed.

Tingling with anticipation, her eyes roamed Tara's body as she waited to see where her girlfriend would start.

There was a clacking sound as Tara freed her belt and then the wonderful pop of a button releasing. Willow's toes wiggled as she waited for the pants to drop, but Tara's hands moved away without even brushing the zipper.

Willow pouted but she was soon distracted again as Tara reached behind her neck and released the halter straps keeping her top in place. The material sagged in front but Tara caught it before it fell off her chest.

Tara offered that coy little smile that made Willow melt, before turning her back in a slow sway.

Willow's mouth dried up as she looked on at Tara's shapely spine. Soon the shirt was on the ground and Willow didn't even care about not seeing Tara's breasts when she had the lovely curvature of her girlfriend's back to experience.

Tara began to push her pants down, bit by bit. She took the panties with her to maximise the impact she was trying to impart.

Willow caught the dimpling of Tara's ass as the cheeks were exposed. Her moisture was anywhere but her mouth.

She started to crawl forward and hung off the edge to plant her lips on Tara's left cheek and take a nibble.

After a moment, she realised what she was doing and glanced up.

Tara was just smirking back.

Willow blushed and sat back. She cleared her throat.

"Willow says she's losing the ability to speak, so, ah…you are released from servitude. Willow says you are released."

Tara daintily stepped out of her clothing and turned, exposing herself fully. She flicked her finger to indicate to Willow to move back.

"Now it's my turn to have some fun."

Willow was more than distracted by everything Tara's front had to offer, but moved back, slightly by force as Tara climbed over her.

Tara's body hovered above her and though Willow couldn't feel her girlfriend's weight, she felt every ounce of her presence.

Tara arched her body downwards so it almost, but not quite, touched Willow's. She watched as Willow's lower lip trembled, then pressed her lips to it.

Willow tried to angle her face to kiss Tara properly but Tara moved her mouth before she could connect. Tara continued to pepper Willow's face with the barest brushing of kisses.

Willow's whole body was tingling and Tara hadn't even touched her yet. The only contact she got was a brief graze of their breasts from the way her chest heaved with laboured breath.

Tara kissed the lobe of Willow's ear, then flicked her tongue out to the sensitive canal.

Willow felt it as deeply as if Tara had touched her between her legs. She felt herself grow wetter and had to fight the urge to grind her hips.

Needing contact, her hands slid down to Tara's ass.

"Resist…" Tara whispered in Willow's ear, "It will be worth it."

Willow couldn't and took another squeeze. Tara lifted her head and looked at Willow with an arched eyebrow.

"Don't make me tie you up."

Willow's eyes widened for a moment, then became defiant and she put her hand on Tara's back again. Tara took Willow's wrists and made her hold the slats in the headboard.

"Naughty…naughty…girl."

She got off the bed and tugged the belt free from the pants she'd worn. She then moved back to straddle Willow and weaved the belt through the headboard to secure Willow's hands.

They were rougher than the scarves they'd used in the past when playing and Willow found it so much hotter. She really had to take a moment to rein in her breathing but managed after a few lungfuls of air.

Tara ran her fingers down the flexing muscles in Willow's stretched arms. She avoided Willow's underarms so as not to induce tickles that they might never come back from. She came close enough just to keep Willow on edge and it resulted in the expected squirming.

Tara enjoyed watching and feeling Willow wriggle beneath her.

Willow knew it, too and may have been 'enhancing' things with a little show of her own. Get Tara worked up enough and she wouldn't have to endure her girlfriend's almost famous teasing treatment.

Tara's lips fell into Willow's neck and kissed up to her ear.

Her voice dropped and she whispered something, just barely audible. She knew her breath was tickling and made a point of using her hot breath as ammunition.

As the last word passed her lips, she pulled back to look at Willow, who was wide-eyed and nodding furiously.

Tara seared Willow's lips with a kiss, feeling her gasp and air rush into her mouth.

Willow's wrists pulled against the belt as her body arched to pull in more breath. She got the oxygen she needed when Tara released her, but she quickly decided kisses were more important than breath.

Unfortunately too late, as Tara was already moving away. Willow didn't have much time to miss her though, as Tara's body was moving up so close to her eyes she got all the view she wanted.

Finally the best view off all came into sight as Tara's legs spread above her face.

Willow's fingers again splayed as they sought to reach up and pull Tara down to where she wanted her to be.

She resigned herself to being out of control but lifted her head to take a nibble of Tara's thigh. She felt Tara inch closer down until her tongue was close enough to get to work.

She ran the tip of her tongue along Tara's lips and experienced that first taste. She immediately wanted more and her tongue fluidly swept through Tara and lapped at her opening.

Tara's palm was pressed up against the wall, but it slammed down against the top of the headboard to steady herself. Her fingers curled around the wood and she spread her thighs at a better angle.

She rolled her hips, gently so as not to put too much weight on Willow. It was hard not to let go but she needed to maintain the air of control and that included controlling herself.

Her fingers tightened against the wood when Willow's lips brushed her clit. A shaken moan escaped and her thigh slipped for a moment but she recovered.

Willow continued playing with Tara's clit because she knew it was a sure-fire to unravel her girlfriend. It was actually quite fun to have her hands out of action and have to use her mouth alone to drive Tara crazy.

She was a lot more conscious of her tongue and what it was doing. She was contorting it into all kinds of shapes to add sensation. Her whole face was moving at speed to keep up, fast enough that she could duck away to suck and nibble Tara's thighs in place of where her hands would normally be caressing.

Tara was almost clawing the walls and pushing herself down with a much more insistent force. Her lower lip trembled with the moans passing by until she was suddenly caught for breath.

The orgasm caught her by surprise despite the fact that it had been building. She let out three short breaths, then one long, very satisfied one.

Her head lolled back as a smile spread across her face. It sprang forwards again after a minute and she enjoyed a few seconds more on Willow's face before she moved away and sank her butt down onto the bed.

Willow was panting more than Tara and smiling just as big.

Tara looked over at her girlfriend's smeared face and got warm in her belly all over again. She scooted over and laid down on her side alongside her.

Willow's arms twisted, reminding her of her restraints.

"Hello," she said breathily.

Tara trailed a finger above Willow's eyebrow and down her jaw, before brushing it over Willow's mouth and gathering the arousal she'd left behind.

She brought her finger to her mouth and sucked the tip before popping it back out, audibly.

Willow's mouth lay open in a pant and she began squirming all over.

Tara took advantage and laid her mouth on Willow's, slipping her tongue inside. Her hand curved around one of Willow's breasts and her thumb flicked the hard nipple.

She both felt the jerk of Willow's body and the moan that fell into her mouth. She could feel the heat emanating from her girlfriend, so her hand continued its journey south and played with her downy hairs.

Her fingers slid between Willow's lips and they both sighed together with momentary satisfaction.

It only lasted for a second, and Tara was quick to move further down to enter Willow.

Willow almost broke the kiss through the groan she released, but Tara wouldn't let her; kissing her as hard as her fingers began to move inside.

Willow was already dizzy and only got more so as Tara slipped out and up to rub her clit for a few seconds before thrusting back inside.

She repeated the same motion again and again until Willow was quivering and barely hanging onto the kiss. When she felt like she'd gotten enough from her girlfriend, Tara lifted her very wet fingers and began a back and forth on Willow's clit with enough intensity to get her over the edge.

Willow's response was immediate; her eyes flicking opened and closed until her whole body slumped into the bed.

Tara eased up, gently, then finally laid back onto her pillow and stretched out her fingers.

After a few minutes, she leaned over and tickled Willow's cheek.

"You feeling better?"

"About what?" Willow asked, almost deliriously.

She remembered nothing past the baring of Tara's ass.

"About nothing," Tara replied with a grin to herself.

Willow could barely keep her eyes open.

"Are sex comas a thing? I think I'm in one."

Tara reached up to undo the best, but Willow suddenly woke right up and pulled away.

"No, leave it," she insisted, "I like it."

She stretched her body and smiled coquettishly.

"Plus if I keep lying here all sexy-like, maybe you'll come at me again."

Tara turned herself on her side again and placed her palm between Willow's breasts and bellybutton.

"You're almost right."

"Almost?" Willow asked curiously.

"Out by one word," Tara confirmed.

Willow's eyes flicked in thought.

"Which one?"

Tara wiggled her fingertips to very lightly tickle Willow's skin.

"At."

Willow started to grin, from the exchange and sensation.

"'At', hmm?"

Tara's hand began to dip lower.

Willow gulped.

"And what would you replace it with?"

Tara smiled mysteriously.

"Let's find out."

Willow became lost for breath all over again as Tara moved 'on' top of her.

"Let's."


	41. Chapter 41

**Clauxx** —Thank you for your feedback, I'm very appreciative! I think Tara can handle a screwdriver ;)

* * *

 _And thus the prequel series concludes. Big thanks to everyone who has stuck around to read, especially those with me for this entire verse!_

 _Big thanks_ _ **FivebyFive89**_ _,_ _ **Boris Yeltsin**_ _,_ _ **Luxor**_ _,_ _ **Slupton**_ _,_ _ **JustJane18**_ _,_ _ **jai**_ _,_ _ **jaiden83**_ _,_ _ **billy**_ _,_ _ **mini**_ _,_ _ **jake**_ _,_ _ **gg**_ _,_ _ **sara**_ _,_ _ **ImSoCooliPissIceCubes**_ _,_ _ **smg55**_ _,_ _ **Clauxx**_ _,_ _ **291**_ _and various_ _ **Guests**_ _for taking the time to leave feedback. I always appreciate it :)_

* * *

Tara was buffering her nails to make them presentable before Becky arrived to bring them to the wedding.

As she was finishing up, Brian and Willow appeared from the bedroom, all dressed up in their costumes for the convention that Alice had gifted tickets to Willow on her birthday.

Brian was wearing an old suit and trench coat, while Willow was wearing a matching blue shirt and skirt, with the shirt designed like a police phone box.

Tara nodded, impressed.

"You guys look great."

Willow was pouting.

"I wanted to be Ten but Brian wouldn't wear the Tardis costume."

"The skirt wasn't flattering," Brian joked.

"You could've worn jeans," Willow replied petulantly.

Tara just smiled.

"Look at you two, bickering like a real couple."

"Tara," Willow whined, "The Doctor isn't in _a relationship_ with the Tardis."

"Debatable," Brian added with a wry smile.

Tara looked around for the camera.

"Let me take a picture."

Willow had it amongst her things to take, so Tara plucked it from the table.

"You look really nice too, Tara," Brian said shyly, "You're going to a wedding with Becky right?"

Tara was in a pretty, yellow summer dress and simple white heels. She smiled as she turned the camera on.

"I'm the non-threatening date so she can sink her claws into a groomsman."

"Oh," Brian replied, nodding his head a bit too quickly, "Yeah. Great."

Tara motioned for them to get closer.

"Stand together."

Both of them forced smiles like teenagers going to prom, then Willow quickly started to gather her things.

"Okay, we gotta go! Bye Tara, have a nice time at the wedding!"

"Enjoy your day," Tara replied to both of them, "I hope it's filled with all the nerdy joy you want."

Brian and Willow just shared grins and headed out to catch the train, with plenty of other costumed con-goers, making them completely unremarkable apart from an odd sidelong glance or two.

Once there, Brian stood outside the convention centre and led the way importantly.

"Allons-y!"

Willow grinned and followed him, spinning; loving the unobstructed opportunity to be silly without judgement.

"Oooooh weeee ooooooh!"

They flashed their pre-collected badges and walked into the building, straight into the main arena which looked even vaster kitted out with the geeky gear than it ever could with hockey fans.

"Whoa," Brian commented, eyes huge, "They must have every fandom known to man here."

"And woman," Willow quipped, "Where do you want to go first?"

"Well I want to check out Artist Alley before the Doctor Who panel," Brian replied with excitement in his voice, "I want to get my sketch signed."

"Then let's go!" Willow said, stepping up on the balls of her feet, "I'll lead the way of course!"

As they weaved through crowds and stalls, they shared smiles with many other con-goers and there was a lot of mutual appreciative looks for costumes. Just shy of Artist Alley, a woman with a large camera around her neck stopped them for a moment.

"I love your costumes. Can I take your picture? I'm making up a collage of all the best costumes for a college assignment."

Brian looked at Willow, who shrugged jovially.

"Sure!"

They posed with Brian bending his knee and Willow holding his foot so it looked like he was stepping into her. The woman took a few shots for safety, checked them back and smiled back at them.

"Thank you so much. You guys look great."

She skipped off and Brian shook his head to himself as he straightened back up.

"Wow…we've found a place where we're cool."

Willow grinned.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, buddy. Enjoy it while it lasts."

At home, Tara packed her little clutch purse with her phone, wallet and some mints. Her keys wouldn't fit, so she took the apartment key off and onto a separate hook and hid it in her wallet so it was safe.

Becky wasn't long in ringing the buzzer, and Tara grabbed her jacket for the evening to meet her downstairs.

Becky started to greet Tara when she saw her appear, but faltered.

"Damn," she said not too enthusiastically, "I forgot to tell you, you weren't allowed look prettier than me."

"I'll take the compliment," Tara replied diplomatically.

Becky sighed.

"At least you're not competition," she said dryly, then offered Tara a real smile, "Thanks for coming."

"You're lucky," Tara replied as they began walking to Becky's car, "Willow was effing and blinding your name for days after the stripper incident."

"Jeez, remind me never to expose Willow to a phallus again," Becky replied wryly.

"That's a good rule of thumb for me too," Tara advised.

Becky just smiled again and threw her eyes to heaven good-naturedly. Tara sat into the passenger seat and buckled up while Becky started the engine.

"So where are we off to?" Tara asked.

"They rented out this big old country house on the coast," Becky replied, sitting back as they became stagnant in Boston traffic, "Supposed to be really nice. On a cliff, overlooking the water. Pictures looked nice when I was booking a room."

"On the coast? Am I going to be able to get a cab from there?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow, "I don't want to be putting my head over my pillow trying to block out noises of you and— was it Michael?"

"Yeah, but everyone calls him Mickey," Becky answered, smirking to herself as she thought of her evening's conquest, "Don't worry there was only a limited amount of rooms so lots of people aren't staying. They're running free shuttles back to the city and I'll give you some cash in case the shuttle drops you somewhere not close-by."

Tara agreed and Becky flicked on some tunes for the ride.

It was a nice drive and Tara enjoyed the scenic route. The suburbs were as far outside the city as she generally got.

Finally they drove along a winding gravel road up to a huge Georgian mansion. It was right on the cliff's edge with views out to the sea.

"Wow," Tara said as she watched the clear blue sky hit the blue waters at the horizon.

"Told'ja," Becky replied, veering off to the side where the other cars were parked.

People were milling around the courtyard outside, acquainting themselves with each other. Tara was glad she'd worn one of her nicer dresses because the women were dolled up to the nines and the men were all in suits and ties.

Tara recognised the groom from the few times they'd met, standing on the steps of the house with Becky's ex Darren and three other men. Becky discreetly pointed out the middle one; the tallest of the bunch with perfectly coiffed hair, tanned skin and obvious muscles beneath the sleek, black tuxedo.

"That's Mickey."

"I see," Tara said, holding her clutch in front of her with one hand. As she glanced around at the people milling about, she noticed something else too, "Becky, a bunch of other women are wearing your dress."

"No, duh," Becky replied, brushing the hem of her dress down, "I'm a bridesmaid."

Tara turned, eyes wide.

"You're—what? You didn't tell me that."

"Whoops," Becky replied, not very apologetically, "You'll be fine. I just have to stand up there during the ceremony."

Tara knew Becky didn't plan to stick around for the entire evening, but she at least thought she'd have a companion until she could sneak off after dinner. She pursed her lips to stop from anything angry or annoyed passing them and looked out onto the calming ocean.

"Well she picked nice dresses for you all."

"Thanks," Becky replied, looking down to make sure it sat right, "It's not wrinkled from the car, is it?"

Tara kindly inspected Becky's dress for her and gave her the thumbs up that it looked good. Becky brought Tara into the crowd and re-introduced her to the other bridesmaids. They'd met on the night of the bachelorette party, but by the time Willow and Tara had arrived at the restaurant, most of the participants were already well inebriated.

Tara said her hellos and then hung around in the background while they all talked. Just a few minutes passed before people were told to make their way inside to the ceremony room.

It was a large room with a winding aisle, chairs with white throws over them and a canopy at the front.

The floor was littered with multi-coloured confetti and on the back of each chair there was a cut out of two birds 'kissing', one in a tux and one in a white dress.

Tara thought it was sweet but thought they were crazy not to take advantage of the beautiful scenery to get married outside. She always liked the idea of an outdoor wedding.

She took a seat right at the back and flicked through the program left on the chair. They had picked out nice poems and verses to be read, which made Tara look forward to the ceremony more.

It wasn't long before the very traditional Pachelbel's Canon in D began playing and everyone stood for the processional.

Tara watched as Becky walked down the aisle with the famous Mickey on her arm and how their eyes never left each other as they lined up opposite each other.

Tara was pretty sure she saw a wink exchanged.

The groom was right at the 'nervously fixing his bowtie' stage and Tara noticed Darren do that manly pat on the back to signal support and affection.

Dave did a little jump as if he was preparing to enter a basketball game, then settled his hands in front of him respectfully. Tara knew when Kim had entered through the back door by the smile that broke out on his face. It warmed her heart.

She stood along with everyone else as Kim walked down the aisle, with who Tara assumed was her father. She looked beautiful in her long, elegant white gown, sitting snugly on her chest and exposing her shoulders.

She was tanned from the summer sun and had impeccably touched make-up and hair. Tara guessed it had probably cost as much as the dress itself to pay the professionals who helped her get ready that morning.

When Kim got to the top, the celebrant introduced herself as Kim's mother, which Tara thought was pretty special. It was a very loving, personal and symbolic ceremony and even Tara had a tear in the eye by the time Dave was called upon to kiss his bride. She clapped her hands as loud as everybody else there.

Everybody stood again as the new Mr and Mrs O'Dwyer came back down the aisle. They stopped to talk to people along the way and Tara offered a shy greeting as Kim passed her by.

"Congratulations."

Kim offered Tara a genuine smile and reached out to squeeze her hand.

"Thank you. It's nice to see you, college and everything else seems so long ago. Thanks for coming to the bachelorette party, I had a great time with all the girls," she replied with that kind of radiant aura only a bride could exude, "Well, I don't remember most of it, but that's a sign of a night well spent."

Tara returned the smile, appreciating the warmness.

"Have a lovely day."

"Thank you," Kim reiterated sincerely, then continued walking out with her new husband.

After a few minutes, Becky returned, sans the bouquet she'd been carrying and she had let her hair down.

"That was really lovely," Tara complimented.

"They planned every last detail, I'm glad it paid off," Becky replied, smiling, "Come on, there's a cocktail reception while they get their photographs done. I heard they're doing wicked watermelon margaritas. You want one?"

"It would be rude to say no," Tara replied with a sideways grin.

They walked down a grand hallway along with a lot of other people and out the back of the house. There was a huge yard with a patch of grass as big as a football field and plenty of surrounding trees and forestry that seemed like it could have stretched on forever.

The sun was beaming down on the gravel pathway that led to an outdoor bar and tables and chairs were set out for people to relax in.

They got a couple of cocktails and nabbed a table. Becky swirled and drank hers a little too quickly as she eyed up Mickey talking to a bunch of guys on the stairs leading out of the door.

Tara pulled Becky's glass away from her, since she was there primarily to stop Becky getting too drunk too fast.

"You're acting like a nervous 16 year old on a first date."

"Oh, I don't want to date him," Becky replied with a barking laugh of incredulity, "I mean, no offence but anyone who's named after a mouse isn't the height of cultural sophistication or intelligence. I just want to experience all _that_ has to offer. He's Adonis level sexy, right?"

"I'm not the best judge," Tara answered honestly.

Becky smirked.

"Why am I asking you? You think Willow is the epitome of hotness."

"Hey," Tara warned somewhat sharply, "I'm doing you a favour. Don't insult my girlfriend."

Becky held her hands up.

"Just a joke."

Tara let it go, mostly since Becky was already distracted all over again.

"Oh Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine, you blow my mind…" she whispered through a hot-and-heavy exhale before shooting up out of the seat when the groomsman moved away from the conversation he was in, to get his attention, "Hey Mickey!"

Tara was left alone with two half-glasses so she poured one into the other. If Becky was going to abandon her, she figured she was at least entitled to the abandoned drink also.

A couple of minutes passed before a tall figure in a dark tux came to stand over her. Tara had to shield the sun from her eyes as she looked up to recognise Becky's ex.

"Hey, it's Tara right? Becky's old roommate's girlfriend?" he asked, unusually shy from how Tara recalled him, "You remember me?"

"Of course," Tara replied, crouch-standing by way of a greeting, "Hi Darren."

He gestured towards the other chair and Tara nodded to him to take it while she sat down again.

"Best man duties today, huh?"

"I didn't lose the groom and I didn't lose the rings," Darren replied with a bashful smile, "Just gotta make a speech and my responsibilities are over."

Tara offered a smile and Darren turned his beer bottle in his hands nervously.

"You come with Becky?" he asked with failed nonchalance.

Tara nodded slowly.

"Yeah, she wanted a…non-male companion."

Darren's eyes followed the wall until he landed on the two figures laughing on the steps.

"She's set her sights on Mickey, huh? She's one dedicated man-eater," he said with palpable pain Tara hadn't been expecting, "She certainly chewed me up and spit me out."

He realised he gave himself away and took a big swig of his beer.

"Sorry, sorry. So, hey, how you doing?"

Tara wasn't sure what made her offer her time to this man she only barely knew, but she understood a look of heartbreak when she saw one and she couldn't well stand idly by.

"Do you want to go talk?" she offered with her natural empathy coming through, "I've been stranded by my 'date' anyway."

Darren seemed surprised by the offer and hesitated for a moment before finally accepting.

"…yeah. Thanks."

They both stood up with their drinks and wandered around to the front of the house. Some people were standing around there too, so they continued out a bit more to the cliff edge. Darren sat on a huge bolder and Tara leaned back against it beside him.

They silently watched the crashing waves beneath for a few moments before Darren reached into his inside breast pocket and produced a joint and a lighter.

Tara arched an eyebrow as he lit up.

"Is that a good idea? Speech coming up…"

Darren took a drag and let out a plume of smoke.

"It relaxes me."

He offered it to Tara, who courteously held her hand up and shook her head.

"No thanks," she declined politely, "I work for the government. You know, random drug tests."

Darren shrugged, nodded and took another pull.

When another couple of minutes passed without conversation, Tara guessed she was going to have to take the lead.

"So I'm getting the feeling perhaps your feelings for Becky are a little more than…whatever you had."

Darren kicked a stone under his foot.

"She's been stringing me along for three years…dating other dudes and calling up when they don't work out. Kicking me out the next morning, if I'm lucky. Three minutes after we finish, if I'm not."

Tara was surprised. She knew Becky had plenty of what could only be described as 'booty calls' but she assumed everyone was on the same page about it. She didn't think it was fair to mess around guys like that and hoped she wasn't doing it again that night.

"I know Becky wouldn't do that if she knew it hurt you."

"It didn't, at first. Knocking about in college is one thing…" Darren replied, looking out over the cliff wistfully, "But a man grows, y'know? His heart grows with him."

Tara really felt for the guy, whom she'd often dismissed before as a bit of a loser. She felt quite guilty talking to him now and genuinely wanted to help him.

"Have you ever tried saying 'no'?"

Darren broke out in a smile, but it was melancholy, not joyful.

"Every time I say I will next time…but she calls and I come running."

"Well…" Tara replied, biting the corner of her lip in thought, "Becky won't call if she knew you were with someone else."

Darren turned to Tara with a curiously creased brow.

"You saying I should find myself a new lady-friend and forget about her?"

"I think moving on is best for everyone," Tara replied tactfully.

Darren exhaled a deep sigh.

"Deep down, I know that. I'm kind of a shy guy. More than people realise."

"I'm confident if you're open and willing, the right person will come along," Tara said, hoping if she acted convinced about it, it would pass off.

Darren flicked the butt on the joint on the ground after finishing it off in one last drag.

"Thanks," he said, releasing the smoke at the same time, "Can't really talk to my guy friends about this stuff, at least not lately with all this wedding shit. Even just getting it out helps."

Tara put an arm around Darren's shoulders and gave him a friendly squeeze. Darren eyed her, sidelong.

"You definitely gay?"

Tara rolled her eyes and playfully shoved his shoulders.

"Don't ruin it."

Darren just smiled and hopped off the rock.

"Better get back inside. The groom isn't going to rib himself."

"Good luck," Tara offered sincerely.

Darren offered a fist bump, which Tara returned only slightly awkwardly, with a smile. They headed back to the bar but people had moved inside, so they both hurried to the banquet room and Darren snuck up to the top table beside the groom.

Luckily people were still settling, so he got in unnoticed by most. Tara had the more difficult task of locating Becky in a sea of dresses, a bunch of which were identical.

Finally she spotted her and weaved through to take the seat next to her.

"Hey, where'd you sneak off to?" Becky asked as Tara sat down, "I ordered you the fish."

"Enjoying the grounds," Tara replied, which was true.

Becky just nodded, but her attention was still predictably elsewhere.

"Mickey says he can sneak off after the speeches. He's sharing a room, glad I got my own," she said, grinning with anticipation, "Is that cool with you? They'll have the shuttles after dinner sometime."

"That's fine," Tara agreed quickly, the conversation with Darren still fresh in her mind, "Becky…does Mickey know you're not looking for anything but a one-nighter?"

Becky grinned.

"His exact words were 'I'm not looking for anything but a coast boast'— I said, great, me either!"

Tara was relieved and smiled.

"Have fun," she said with a wink, "And be safe."

"Yes, mom," Becky replied with a smirk, "Always."

There were ten or fifteen minutes of bustle before quiet was called for so the speeches could begin. Father of the bride and mother of the groom each said a few welcoming words to their expanding family until it was finally time for Darren to stand up.

He was clearly a little nervous at first, dropping his sheet of paper and taking an additional swig of beer. But once he got into it, he was smooth and funny and really quite endearing.

He was clearly a much more mature man than the one either of them had first met all those years ago. Tara really did wish the best for him.

During a big laugh for one of his jokes, Becky leaned in to speak quietly in Tara's ear.

"Is it just me or does Darren look a lot less…greasy?"

In that moment, Tara decided to tell a little white lie for the good of humanity, or at least for the betterment of a few certain humans.

"I heard he has a new girlfriend."

"Oh, he does?" Becky asked, seeming unsure for a moment before nodding, "Well, good for him. Better draw a little line through that entry in the little black book."

"Good idea," Tara advised sagely.

They quietened again to wait out the rest of the speech until the glass was raised for them all to make a toast.

"To Kim and Dave!"

"To Kim and Dave!" everyone in the room echoed followed by a cheer.

The couple stood up and shared a kiss, and then the bride turned around to throw her bouquet. A swarm of women gathered in front, some even beginning to elbow each other out of the way.

Kim did a few teasing tosses, grinning over her shoulder, before finally releasing the flowers into the air.

It sailed past the women and landed squarely in Tara's lap.

"She plays netball," Becky said quietly, "Doesn't know her own strength."

Tara was embarrassed by everyone looking at her and shyly returned the bouquet to Kim to try a less forceful throw. Kim gently tossed it back this time, perfectly into the gaggle of women and into the hands of one very excited lady.

Becky leaned over to whisper to Tara.

"I know her boyfriend. No way is that happening."

Tara arched an eyebrow and Becky looked offended.

"I didn't do anything! _He_ hit on me!"

Tara gave an apologetic look. It was obvious she was unaware of how she'd been treating Darren and she hoped it had begun to resolve itself.

It wasn't long before plates were being served, but almost as soon as Tara picked up her fork, Becky was tossing her napkin on the table, clearly having gotten the eye from Mickey.

"That's my cue," Becky said, her eyes visibly shining with excitement.

"Are you not going to eat anything?" Tara asked.

"Oh, I'm sure my mouth will be busy," Becky replied with a smirk, "Do I look okay? Teeth check?"

She bared her teeth, which Tara dutifully checked.

"You look very nice," she confirmed, "Enjoy your evening."

Becky squeezed Tara's arm as she stood up.

"Thanks for helping me out."

"Any time," Tara replied sincerely, although she wasn't sure she'd been much help.

Becky grabbed her clutch and sneaked away, leaving Tara alone with her wine and dinner.

She tried not to seem conspicuous but was rescued after a few minutes by the woman who had been sitting on the other side of Becky.

She was about their age or maybe slightly younger, with bright multi-coloured hair and an off-the-cuff red dress with design slashes along it.

"Are we forming an impromptu singles table?" she asked with an animated smile, "My date cancelled at the last minute. Jerk."

Tara looked up and smiled shyly.

"Mine deserted me, but she warned me she would."

The other girl nodded.

"An honourable jerk."

"More like a needy friend," Tara amended.

The girl shuffled herself over the one seat and offered her hand.

"Sarah."

Tara left her utensils down to shake.

"Tara."

Sarah offered a high five.

"Hey, we rhyme!"

They shared smiles and conversed over the rest of the meal. They swapped desserts when Sarah was given a cheesecake mistakenly, which wasn't in line with her vegan diet. Tara didn't mind giving up her sorbet and her new dinner companion seemed to really appreciate it.

When the plates were cleared and Tara was finishing off her glass of wine, Sarah scooted a little closer on her chair and leaned over conspiringly towards Tara.

She glanced around to make sure no one else around them was listening, which they weren't.

"Listen, you seem pretty cool. You don't happen to have any weed, do ya?"

Tara just smiled and made a 'follow me' motion with her hand.

"Let me introduce you to someone."

Tara brought Sarah over to Darren and made the introduction. They shook hands and Tara wasn't sure, but she thought she sensed a spark. They fell into even easier conversation and Tara began to sneak away.

Just before she turned to leave them completely alone, Darren caught her eye and gave her a sincere smile of gratitude. Tara offered a sly wink and backed away out of the banquet room and out into what was now the night sky.

She took in a deep breath and smelled the sea air. She wasn't sure what the shuttle situation was, but it was a warm evening and she found it quite a pleasure to spend some time sitting out looking at the water. She hoped opportunity might arise to get out of Boston a bit more, in time.

After about thirty minutes, out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the vibrant flash of Sarah's hair. She turned to see her hand being pulled by Darren to one of the big rocks on the cliff edge. They disappeared behind it and Tara smiled. She hoped she'd done a good thing that night.

Another while passed and the air started to get a little nippy. Tara donned her jacket and wondered about maybe going to buy another drink to wait with when a white van pulled up.

She stepped into it and the driver waited ten minutes or so to see if anyone else came out before shutting the doors again.

Tara was the only one on the bus, but the driver still took her and even dropped her right to her door because of it. She tipped him for the courteous service with the money Becky had given her for a cab and he literally tipped his hat in response.

Tara thought it was the sweetest thing and gave him a warm goodbye before exiting for her building. She'd enjoyed her day so much more than she ever thought she would.

She let herself into the apartment and waved her fingers at Willow. Willow was curled up in her jammies with her laptop, which was embossed with a lot of new stickers bought that day at the convention.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Hey, you," Willow greeted, leaving her laptop off to the side, "I was expecting you home way earlier. Did Becky not get the guy?"

"She did," Tara replied, hanging her jacket on the back of a chair, "I just hung around. It was pretty fun."

"Oh, well, great," Willow said, surprised, "I thought it'd be tolerable at best."

Tara shrugged.

"Great food. I had some delicious seabass. How was your con day?"

"Full of nerdy joy, like you said," Willow replied with a pleased smile, "It would bore you to tears, but it was sufficiently awesome. Lots of people took our picture and we heard a great panel. Brian met this comic author he really loves and I got to say hello to this actor I loved in a bunch of things. I totally fangirled out, but hey, you experienced that before so you can imagine what I was like and I don't like reminding you how much of a dork I am! Tell me more about the wedding. Nice people?"

Tara nodded as she slipped her shoes off, her heels and toes grateful to be free.

"Really nice people. Kim was stunning and she sure got the weather. Amazing venue. Lots of fun. Oh, let me tell you."

She sat down beside Willow with her feet under her.

"The bride totally overestimated her throw when she was tossing the bouquet and it landed right in my lap," she continued with a silly smile, "So, technically, I caught the bouquet."

"You did?" Willow asked with a hint of a hidden smirk.

"I did," Tara confirmed, finding her phone to show Willow a picture, "It was really pretty actually, all purples and whites. Classic. Elegant. I gave it back for her to throw again, of course, but everyone got a laugh."

Willow put an arm around her and smiled at Tara.

"That's really funny. Go on."

It seemed fate was trying to give them a push, but fate apparently didn't know about the two rings already sitting in Willow's nightstand drawer.

They were just recently bought from the jar of coins Willow had been collecting for months and had painstakingly counted and rolled to deposit in her bank account.

The chaotic Christmas at the group home had really cemented for her how much she wanted a family with Tara and she knew it was time to make things official. She didn't have the job and financial security she'd hoped she would when the moment came, but she had realised that freezing, frenzied day that it didn't matter.

Or at least, it didn't matter enough to continue delaying it. It could never happen if she did that. Even if for some reason children never happened, she wanted to be a unit; a real, official unit that no one could deny. She wanted their family status protected, whether it was just the two of them or more.

She'd vowed that day she'd start her plan for a proposal and had begun saving; literally, penny by penny.

She'd hoped to do it sooner, but splurging her last pay check that time had set her back. Finally, she'd saved enough to get a ring of real white gold, if not real diamonds but full of the very real love she felt for Tara.

She'd scoured the 'net, found the two nicest rings she could find in her price range and waited patiently for the package to arrive.

Her hands had shaken when she opened them. She'd spent the whole day dipping into the bedroom to take another look.

Willow's only predicament now was to find somewhere under the stars in the city that was totally private, because Tara was her star and they were one of their favourite things to look at.

They'd star-spotted on their first non-date date when the first whisperings of attraction begun to make itself known and Willow wanted them to be a part of this moment too. She wanted them to be alone and she wanted it to be special and it all seemed too much to perfect sometimes, but it thrilled her too.

She glanced at Tara, who was still chatting away happily, then up at the ceiling and wished they had a see-through roof so the stars could shine on them right there, in the place they'd made a home.

She smiled to herself in thought and decided enough was enough.

She just couldn't wait any longer.

By the end of that week, she planned to make Tara her intended wife.

* * *

 _ **The End**_


End file.
